when it thunders,
do you look up at the sky,
welcoming what's coming,
or asking why?
when you fall in love,
is your heart set ablaze
for days and days?
these are the questions
that matter to me now.
not how to avoid the lightning,
but whether you'll step outside anyway.
not how to escape heartbreak,
but whether you'll hand someone
the matches.
every beautiful thing
comes with a warning label.
the ocean.
the diagnosis.
another human being.
still,
i'd rather leave this world
with smoke in my lungs
and ash on my hands
than die
having kept everything
perfectly fireproof.