living - a reminder to fill, and flush
ground yourself; recognize your breath, that rhythm;
that beat within you - within all of us -
you’ve felt since conscience came and blessed you with this role
one of a lifetime…
slow yourself
edge deeply into a pool of bliss
where all it takes is one gentle press
to sift through stone flesh
exhume effects of darkened sun
and allow for clear instruction
etchings of hope
and of prompt
to breathe
and live by
break - the end of a beginning
a symbol of idle hibernation
a cultivation well-earned
a time to lie in solitude
bring me
the sweetest batch of cavity
to crawl within
to burrow
to create a cave of caducity conducive to rest
to shallow shut-eye
to temporary slumber
to reverie,
pending conclusion - the new beginning of an end
Colby Flade
Colby Flade (he/him) is a queer writer, artist, editor, avid drinker of coffee, and student based in Chicago. He is the author of The Smell of the Light Blue House in Summertime (2021), Menthol (2022), and Short Sweet Simple: Love Poems (Bottlecap Press, 2022). His poetry & visual art pieces have appeared/are forthcoming in The Oyez Review, Beyond Words Literary Magazine, Beyond Queer Words, Wild Roof Journal, Drunk Monkeys, and elsewhere. Find Colby on Instagram @theflade and visit his website www.theflade.com for more.
Mammal
