The Real LJ Idol * Season 11 * Week 21: The Way Back
“To go forward you must go back,
but don’t worry, you’ll see the way,”
she said as she spun around three times
plucked out her eyes, for luck
she blew on them
like dice, rolled them
down the hill and said,
“Go.”
She read every spell book
upside down, rightside up,
chewed on the edges of each page,
licked torn bindings
to know.
She dropped belladonna elixir
in each eye to let in the light
gasping through clenched teeth
at the harshness of sight,
then she sat in the deep dark
to know.
She counted poppy seeds
pulled from the black earth,
gathered them in a small
pouch woven from her own
hair, then planted them in her
skin for spring
to know.
She scrubbed the blood from
the baseboards in the mean
time, but every morning there
was the stain again, so
she performed exorcisms,
shook hands with her ghosts,
asked the names of demons
to know.
She deconstructed walls,
pulled up floors,
dusted off skeletons, pulled
them into the sun to watch
their bones bleach brilliantly,
patiently waited until they started
to tell her the stories she was afraid
to know.
At the end of a season the roots
went deep into center, strong
with perseverance and wanderlust
spreading the
knowing.
Sunburnt, nails black, eyes crossed
mouth full of blood, she turned around
three times
to rest.
***
It is contestant only voting this week, but you can read more entries here
https://therealljidol.livejournal.com/1131549.html
but don’t worry, you’ll see the way,”
she said as she spun around three times
plucked out her eyes, for luck
she blew on them
like dice, rolled them
down the hill and said,
“Go.”
She read every spell book
upside down, rightside up,
chewed on the edges of each page,
licked torn bindings
to know.
She dropped belladonna elixir
in each eye to let in the light
gasping through clenched teeth
at the harshness of sight,
then she sat in the deep dark
to know.
She counted poppy seeds
pulled from the black earth,
gathered them in a small
pouch woven from her own
hair, then planted them in her
skin for spring
to know.
She scrubbed the blood from
the baseboards in the mean
time, but every morning there
was the stain again, so
she performed exorcisms,
shook hands with her ghosts,
asked the names of demons
to know.
She deconstructed walls,
pulled up floors,
dusted off skeletons, pulled
them into the sun to watch
their bones bleach brilliantly,
patiently waited until they started
to tell her the stories she was afraid
to know.
At the end of a season the roots
went deep into center, strong
with perseverance and wanderlust
spreading the
knowing.
Sunburnt, nails black, eyes crossed
mouth full of blood, she turned around
three times
to rest.
***
It is contestant only voting this week, but you can read more entries here
https://therealljidol.livejournal.com/1131549.html