Imagination

The light is dangerous
It reveals so much we see nothing.

Our shining city is a tumble of cinderblocks
Our glistening towers broken pine boughs
Jagged at the bloody tip
Where hearts have bled.

Our regal bridge is an overturned boat
It capsized with dreams.

Our flags and banners are
Spiderwebs spun so thick the
Sunlight struggles through the webs.

We are moths hovering at the edge of flame
The life we want
Is at the center of the fire
Dare to be burned.

The life we need is
Hidden in the red shadows
We are afraid to turn back.

At a desecrated barrier we stand
Six feet apart in the smoke
The ash whets our tongues as we call to each other
Each convinced we have found the portal
To the life we lost at the end of childhood.