i burn to be alive.

i think i need a fire,
exploding concrete under my feet
because i'm stuck here, breathless
and feeling empty.

shoot them, shards of
piercing glass, ivory or ebony,
impress them on my eyes
to reverse my chaotic sight.

there would be a silent simplicity,
easy contemplation
brought by the vivid black and white.

batter me, dent my sides,
bruise my knees, kick me into
revolutionized perspective.

it's not supposed to be easy,
i want this to ignite my being
and give me new reasons to keep
stepping forward.

dust is pooling under my shoes
so hurricane, pull me up and
freefall me to somewhere unknown.

i'm terrified, but i burn to be alive.

make the gravel leap under me,
press the trees into the street
and make the sky my sidewalk.

let me breathe in a volcano,
i'll exhale clarity, a wrung-out world
where swirling sand becomes a
soulbreaking rainstorm
and my heart beats in time with
the rhythm of unfettered thunderclaps.