Everything That Dies

i was born afraid

and grew fearless.

i was born like a weed cracking

the ocean floor

and i learned the moon in tides and spells.

my survival so far

has been both intricate and blunt,

a beheaded tango, a matter of chance,

blood under my fingernails, laughing

as i sip pomegranate juice from fine crystal

that does not belong to me.

i have loved women with the voices

of sirens, which is to say,

i have loved galaxies.

i became, i became

i will be born in tempests like

everything that dies.