The Guts of a Tender Soul
To the guts of a tender soul,
A girl of sixteen,
born from the roots
of a Leyland Cypress,
fastened to the sandy coasts
and rocky mounts
of the twinned Carolinas.
Though yielded by the serene devotion
of flowering dogwoods
and bathing cardinals,
her passions are captivated
by the allure of distant lands;
Oh!
How the quickness of youth strikes the smooth heart,
Suddenly raging fire throughout the sanctuary of her clenched stomach,
creeping steadily into her throat
as the eloquent sickness
of vanity.
Yet,
In spite of fate’s impending call,
ever attempting to diverge
from the acidity of sentiment,
she withdraws from the guard
of a sheltered being,
casting her heart swiftly upon the dagger of chance;
These ephemeral times,
spent by the hilarity and diversion
of a mortal kind,
were soon to be quenched
by the clock,
leaving her sanctuary cold.
From the grave
she glances,
ever wishing to be taken
by the quickness of youth
once again.
Kaitlyn Johnson