spirit song

sleep ghost child come up from the deep i think we’re nearing the next incarnation of universal suffering and the way the leaves dance on the trees reminds me i’m going to die soon and it’s alright says lou reed, it’s alright the way the clouds clear and shift in a transcendental breeze do you wrestle with the phantoms that come out in the moonlight because i know no quieter realm than the one in my brain where there is a heart of gold sunk deep and a palimpsest of sweetest memories but i am not moved to tears often i wish crying came easy because i’ve been feeling the whole universe caught up in its dreaming in the moment of you, or of me, or anyone dancing would you answer me, i want to know you like no one knows you but then again i also want to be buried in the earth my end would come at any time and i’d be peaceful yeah much love for you and the moon too i hope you don’t mind but you have such dark eyes what i mean is you already know what lies here and there and in between like sometimes don’t we all run out into the sea

—Elena grew up in the DC area, lived briefly in Berlin, Johannesburg, and NYC and currently studies at Bard College. She’s been published in over a hundred literary magazines over the past few years. She is the winner of four poetry contests, including Word Works Young Poets’. Her poetry has been exhibited at the Bard College Learning Fund exhibit, the Whitney Center for the Arts, and the Greater Reston Art Center, among other venues. Check out her poetry books, the sadness of the snow, we’ll beachcomb for their broken bones, and a little luminescence. Her visual art has won her several awards. Go to o-mourning-dove.tumblr.com to see her latest artwork. Readings, book release info, and more at elenabotts.com.