Cinders & Prayers
The lake feels like the edge of the world, the ice on the water nothing more than stepping stones to the great stepping-off into the air feels like the edge of nowhere— a cold breath and a sharp bite ringing through trees, flinging up snow to dust the horizon is whiteness—an unbearable burden of light burning eyes to cinders and prayers, moving the world to shadows, taking up life and moving on we live against this edge, feel the breath of the abyss every day— a hard run a fast heartbeat a shortness of breath that never fades until we fade away