allnight fire

The fat lady crouches on a log beside the fire
Bends her head to face mine
“see now you’re playing with me”
and she is the queen ant dressed in black
the beaded eye and the crow calling in the background
dust sticking to morning’s dew on skin -
roll over to get a better look at her -
can’t figure out what she’s saying
the ants in my hair and on my arms
black spider scuttling back and forth on my cheek drinking tears
and the white ash is warm
soft as silk on my other cheek..
I slept all night ...
I can see
Torn clothes on the tree flapping already dry
bone white and stiff from the fire’s heat
A caught ray shining from the dripping leaves fractured by blue smoke
Drifting into the sunrise mixing with the purple clouds
A vein losing itself in that bruise
The storm
Already buried by the red hills
Walked over yesterday
Red ochre and white powder falling around me
With grey marble streaks
As I get up
She laughs and tells me I look like a statue coming to life
There’s an ant biting my eyelid but it doesn’t really hurt
This is thirst