spirit bottles

photo credit: sadie klein 2017 | spirit bottles

inside every house is a closet with a skeleton
and every skeleton has a secret to tell
folks say dead men tell no tales
but i know dead men speak in facts; absolutes
just a whisper of truth across those old bones can bring new life to things best left in limbo

what happens to a promise when you seal it with a kiss
where there are no lips, there can be no sweetness or smiles
secrets just fall out like rain on a roof
stories of life when told by death sound like hissing through teeth

it is never a matter of if; but of when those old bones will start to rattle
and i am always unprepared

no, these old bottles aren't meant to catch any souls
aren't meant to frighten away any spirits
won't fight any evil
how could they when everything i fear is in a closet down the hall


but they look so beautiful hanging there

looking in, looking out

photo credit: sadie klein 2017 | looking in, looking out

they say the eyes are windows to your soul

but i don't want you to just look in and take a quick peek
a single cold scan up and down my body
this is not an afternoon of window shopping
your face pressed against the glass, critical and assessing
telling me how, when, and what to change to best suit your preferences
dished out as advice served with a single compliment as a snotty afterthought
i want you to climb inside my space
get nice and uncomfortable, wrapped around my thoughts and bones, use my eyes and take a look around
to see what i see, how i see it, when i see it

i wonder

would you understand that i watch everything
how it all moves before me
every last detail
simultaneously lightning fast
and slow
like
molasses
in
december

would you crumple under the weight of all my worlds on these shoulders
hips
knees
ankles

would you feel the weight of all those words spoken
feel how they can paint vivid pictures that
gently dissolve like feather-light snowflakes soft upon my cheeks
or crash land, bury and dig themselves into my skull like megaton bombs and jagged shrapnel

if you climbed inside my space, got nice and uncomfortable, wrapped around my thoughts and bones
and took a look around
would you be left wanting

would you want more windows
or would you want a mirror

looking in
looking out

take a hint

photo credit: sadie klein 2017 | take a hint

it's a sign
obvious
clear

i'm well-worn and used (not abused)
some would say that translates to "well-loved" and "needed"
but i say it just means i'm older and a little bent (not broken)

it's a billboard
big
bold

my edges are jagged and color faded (not jaded)
some would say that means i've had a "variety of life experiences"
but i say it just means i'm tired and skeptical (not cynical)

it's proof
a clue
one more piece of the puzzle

i'm tried and tested (not bested)
some would say it's clear i've "reached my prime"
but i say it just means i'm more than what they say i am (not less)

don't you get it
i am simple (not stupid)
no need for a sugary-sweet coating on this bitter pill
i can swallow pills just fine, thank you very much

it's a sign
a billboard
proof

i can take a hint