Night Bloomer

Leila felt particularly witchy

as she donned her favorite dress,

bodice tight, her abundance

of hair,

a myriad of colors,

curls loose and tight,

and her eyes coated in gold

and slashed with kohl.

…

Tonight is the night, she whispers to herself.

…

Head in the clouds

as she races to her destination,

her feet do not make a sound

as she skips to a cheerful tune,

Childlike and innocent

as airy as a helium balloon.

…

Memories assail her, of simpler times

as she passes a bird’s nest,

chicks slumbering under

the careful watch of mom:

…

As seasons change,
And the world becomes dumb,

Cold and bitter,
An endless night of cries and screams,
I lay in my bed and dream,
Blanket to my chin
And pajamas, a gift from Nana.

As my eyes close,
With a slight smile splayed across my face,
I travel to a world where rules are foreign,
And happiness is law.

…

Leila reaches her destination,

An open glade,

ghostly under the waning gibson moon,

the persistent wind a haunting tune.

Instead of fright,

Leila becomes alive,

A night bloom,

spreading her petals becomingly.

…

A girl in Fantasyland,

Who lusts for adventure,

Lost in a miasma of naivety and wickedness.

Hair unbound, catching on vines,

Feet bare, scratched and dirty,

Looking particularly witchy.

Such a wild child,

Passion shining bright

In her compelling eyes,

Drawing you in,

Teasing you with promises

And a sweet, sweet relentless death.

Tattered dress, unraveling at the seams,

Off kilter, slanted,

Revealing, hiding, teasing, compelling,

The smallest breeze,

A man’s benediction,

A whore’s envy.

Horses so wild, majestic with their long legged gait,

Her hair trailing behind,

Throwing their head back in sheer ecstasy,

Caressing her smooth flesh,

The moon revealing a hourglass silhouette

When did this untamed girl,

Foal wobbling on unsteady legs,

Become a woman?

Her smile, white teeth flashing,

Worldly and all knowing,

Know how to bring an army to their knees,

With a sway on her hips,

A flash of honey scented skin.

Fantasyland where opportunities become tangible,

Expectations-chains,

Dissolve under the unrelenting sun.

Girl or woman,

Tease or vixen,

She has become.