i.
the flames stayed close to sunrise
and the heat was black and heavy,
the floorboards creaked louder
with each crackle of embers;
and I woke.
my throat a mess of light; I dried
the sky of its stars - water-handed,
illiterate in the art of stopping,
drowning sprung from me,
below freezing.
I, trembling - choked on moon's felicity,
as it seemed foolish to smile
and at highest waters
the thunder failed to cry louder than I on my knees.
yet, in the thighbone of muddy conscience
reside seeds of tomorrow.
ii.
behind the leaves
there was no stealing stars
from the sightless sky
and tomorrow brought opportunities
tangled as complications increased.
I could not tear away the threads
wrapped around my skin,
holding me back and craving escape.
bone-sharp, the winds washed away my edges,
weighing me down with sand,
reflecting red off tongues and placing suns
upon pedestals on the verge of collapse
when offered sugar, I could not sip -
simply choke on expectations,
swallowing norms that hold no substance.
malnutrition turns me inside out
and I deny myself my choice
to a full stomach.
iii.
but hope drives the wanderer on
and we gain the power to tumble free;
four trembling hands drink themselves
into spring
and my breath is fat
with the promise of blossoms.
iv.
the years dwindle to a pinpoint
but wisdom brings a sense of self;
acceptance builds me up.
with an unfaltering gaze,
I watch the garden that I created
prosper and unfold,
with even the grass teeming with life.
soul enhanced from serene struggles
as oxygen escapes;
I prepare to give back all I have taken
darkness overcomes my thoughts
and I leave it all
behind.
Adding your comment:
My heart swells up in admiration, I must say!! I love the way you've all brought out the idea of a person's life (woman here, since, I believe, guys don't get pregnant, usually. 
) 
