[pearl of the soul of the world]

step
    step
        step

the numbing cold covers my body
as pearl drop beads fall from the sky
walking side by side in the colorless silence
hoping each other would be able to find
the words that each other needed to hear
but all I can think of was ash-

its not the end of the world he said
its not so bad,
            friends can be forever
forever I thought
with a shaky laugh and
unforgiving eyes-
[I hold the filter swiveling it between fingers
watching ashes rise to floating petals and knew
it wasn't.]

but in that moment
when that one swindle of smoke
        left the world
and when that one perfect pearl
    landed so perfectly on my hand
        with the petals so small
  so soft
that it was nothing at all to me.




but the worst part is you'd
never understand.