In deaf hibernation Amidst a stunning collapse Coughed into existence By the breath of the hollow It was to be nature’s theatre The splendor of the gods Bestowing the gift Of hearth and dance The surface cracks Giving way To serpentine form Persistence may be The greatest strength Of living things Writhing through the ashen crypt The fibers ripple Attuned and alive Untouched by the poison Of malintention They scatter like serpents Across the blighted refuse And blot the light from the sky Can one take refuge in dissolution? My many faces prove to be superficial In my gut I feel the leash A disturbance tugging me Into newness, grief, and awe Perceptive and enlightened; Alive The delicate insight of new eyes