sun
i once heard
of the one
who swallowed the sun
they spoke of it
like it was something bad
something to be feared
yet somehow
something revered
a two-sided coin
a double-edged sword
and so i feared people
who shone so bright
the sun must have lived in their lungs
who had an aura
made of plasma
i ran away
from boys so radiant
they hurt my eyes
i ran away
from girls so aglow
the sky turned yellow
around them
i ran away
until it was just me
alone
in the dark
and then i met her
and i was blinded
by a light so blazing
i would have been foolish
to continue to look her way
but i could not tear my eyes
off her shining skin
fiery cheeks
skin so warm
proof of the life within her
proof of the sun within her
and so i stayed
i touched her skin to mine
let her warm my flesh
allowed her in
my mind told me to run
my heart told me to stay
and so i opened
the space in my chest
so long vacant
cobwebs had formed
i let her in
let her touch me
as i had not been touched in years
a void
a part of me missing
i had not even realized
she made a home
behind my sternum
between my lungs
in every liter of my blood
and i like to think
as i lay beside her at night
that my body
is warmer
than it was
when i met her
Copyright © Ryan Lyman | Year Posted 2024
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