An Almost-White Lemon

Building houses out of homes
with our matchstick fingertips,
harboring the spark
while walking in and out of our best minds.

And I saw you in the corner,
you were walking with the sculptures,
pouring baptized bleach into your lap 
with trembling hands in 12-point font crying
“MAKE ME PURE AGAIN,
MAKE ME PURE (AGAIN),
MAKE ME LIKE THE ANGELS!” 

But alas,
I AM NOT YOUR CREATOR!
(But I have made you as you are.)
I AM NOT YOUR CREATOR!
(But you live and die by my hand.)

Oh, what have we done?
What have we done?

I watched with my limbs misaligned in the ways of planetary railroad tracks
when the train veers out of the milky way and into something 
darker,
and we all blame our horoscopes for the horrors we become.
I watched,  as you ran across gelatin highways
into 
the Seattle rain 
(and out of 
your best mind)
as you shrieked
“CLOUDS POUR DOWN ON ME WITH YOUR ACID RAIN,
MAKE ME CLEAN AGAIN,
MAKE ME CLEAN!”

I remember the sky before the streetlamps,
(What have we done?) 
We watched as the eyes of the mid-west tornados stared us down with their pupils dilated and shrieked through spiked edges in multi-colored irises,
“I AM NOT YOUR CREATOR,
BUT I AM CHAOS AND 
I AM DANGER 
and only I can see you for who you REALLY ARE!
I AM NOT YOUR CREATOR,
(but we both know) 
YOU WILL NEVER BE PURE (AGAIN)!” 

You crack your matchstick knuckles
and watch with a vile elegance as each one
bleeds embers and splinters straight through your adulterated skin,
but you still clench your fists around the spark,
until it’s an almost-white lemon,
almost-white,
almost-pure. 

Oh, what have we done? 

Reviews

[Vestigial Appendage]

That was so terribly beautiful! The bit about the flame at the end really contributed to the 'full circle' structure. I haven't read a piece this well written in a great amount of time. I truly have to congratulate you. My only note for revision would be to make it more clear when she is talking because I sometimes felt like the voice was partially yours. I'm not sure if that was your intention, but a truly great piece. Wonderful. 100/100

[Amit Parmessur]

Strong language and at times very good images... the first stanza is really good.

[Zeitgeist Manifesto]

Whoa...the imagery of this poem is a total bombardment of every
one of the senses. This was quite an experience.