This is one of two poems written for Read Write Poem #91: The Self As Memory, Or Vice Versa. This prompt was courtesy of guest celebrity poet Joseph O. Legaspi and invited us to, using two of his photographs and memories we want to either remember or forget, freewrite and compose two poems. This poem was the “what I want to remember” category. I stretched back to a previous lifetime for this one and took some poetic license, using some descriptive phrases from picture #2. Whatever you happen to believe about reincarnation does not matter — I hope you enjoy the poem.

-Nicole

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Let’s crucify death tonight. Let’s pin
that motherfucker to the wall. This bonfire
now crackles before our faces, calls our feet
colored in brown, peach, pale yellow, burnt sienna, and sable
to spell out our names in letters of elation
as we encircle this exploding insane flower
of flame. We’ll pound our joy
into the solid back of Earth tonight. We’ll go pre-verbal,
speaking in some crazy, proto-human dialect
of shriek, moan, shout, bark, whoop, and cackle
in the hope that by sheer exuberance
we’ll keep this fire burning. Owls will perch
above in the dark canopies, staring at us
with confused eyes of polished moonstone,
and the wild, moon-moaning flute music of wolves
will guide our frantic explosion of
soul-scream song.
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