I sit beside the silkworm
as he draws the hookah near.
The gentle plume soaks the circuits.
Our lips kiss the metal tip.
We suck the silky snake of smoke;
Inhale.
When we share the purple blotter
dendrites spark
like rows of flashing teeth
chewing at my synapses.
Snapping senses
crack my fingertips.
The hair on my arms
quivers to attention
like caterpillar fuzz,
brown and orange
An acid rush
I lift my hands and spread their webs.
Quick blood flows
in pulsing cables;
coated wires,
tuned to my thumping heart.
Liquid jumps and crawls
in whites and reds.
My skin shifts and slips up my arm
to encase the jellied meat.
I blink
And with a jerk,
I pull my eyes away
Move my arms onto the moldy bark.
I feel it lift to greet my grasping hands.
It pulls me to the pulsing veins
of ovate sky and sun and forest soil.
I move through timbered roots,
my hands alive.
As the sun greets birdsong
I discover I’ve returned.
If you enjoyed this poem, read my book, We Swallow Light. It’s an exploration of events in a past life and a refreshing take on overcoming pain and the joy of finding love.