Better than Imagined

I sought out the darkness, savored it,
listened to the sirens
who begged to be kicked from the cliffs.
I took their breath away
literally, sensually, consensually.

They asked for direction and I made them kneel.
They asked for relief and I made them sob.
They asked for ecstasy and I left bruises.
They asked and I gave and it was good.

I walked into dreams, into mine, into others’.
I stole fistfuls of silent desires
and left them shrieking in public places.
I went beyond the borders of this world.

I went willingly and came back bloody.
Stumbling numb, I arrived
a stranger at my own table.
It was worth it. It was the only way through.

Do not listen to the fundamentalists.
Hear me speak, an evangelist of your imagination.
You must feed the appetites to sate them…
but only if you’re willing to fill yourself so full of beauty
that you may end up retching on your own identity.

I walked in the darkness because it was necessary.
Now I awaken at the horizon, my heart blazing.
It is blinding. It is beautiful. I delight in it. The light.
And here you are, pure and perfect, waiting for me to emerge.