it starts with a word
whispered into the darkness
it starts with a spark
as stone strikes stone
it starts with the stroke
of an angel’s wing
and from there it trickles
into color
into life
spreading out
like vines and tendrils
and harlequin wisps
into waves
into gusts
into flames
that burn through
the shadows
and light the corners
what had been quiet
becomes an exultation
what had been blackened
becomes bleached and blinding
what had slipped and slid
along the outskirts of consciousness
becomes the everything
and then
for one moment
in a flash
it is gone
and everything
returns
to
the
word
01.21.25