CHOKING ON CHRYSANTHEMUM by MELISSA VIOLETTE ALIZ
March 4 2025choking on chrysanthemum merciless chamber fragrant descent promise rigid decree command forsworn lovers fragrance tidings holy lament scathed knots inharmonious lark vaulty heavens dismissed from thee harsh grey iris grey pearlescent spheres grey matter visceral potent growth embalmed torn woe hysterically moaning a sweet farewell a field a dust bowl a drought i cannot lick the sword i cannot drink from this scurvy latched fervently minimized some supernatural intention a periwinkle bouquet thrown upon stars upon cupids courting to breathe thin atmosphere of mars unknowable argon conquered upon vision goes grayscale infrared green i blink only to see optic white silhouettes ultraviolet the moon phoebe one arrives sundered to the cassini division where you belong slipping amidst fluted humour borrowed resolve the palm open the palm empty the palm meant to hold fried through light sedulous beam transcendent gloom collect the blood profound porosity silks softly absorb wire the jaw shut with strands of our finest linens kindly extend our giving gift beseech a wrought grave devotional void once cracked veneer never after a desperate smile of thee exposes nothing but hanging nerve roots your spit crimson daring timeless saturated echo abruptly withdrawn crane your neck endlessly you do your best look beyond yet an innocent ribbon cracks the cervical spine the brainstem the body's light switch clarified provided for a bountiful heavens where you beg for belonging or a grip as tight as your own a vapid starvation that furls your entirety a preventable wreckage delicacy intimacy shall not dare to consume stealth fragility cowardice onyx dagger the stretcher cradles you marvelous accelerant absolves what may be guilt beshrew yet non-combustible materials shall burn yet some things never become ash no matter how flammable what does the vault protect what have you locked how do i have this key what is this vice your vice and yet i had the key what defiant confrontation could serve an ailing pulse drowsy veins cold flesh testified through the wedding veil that’s my womb in the fucking toilet the petals of a dying rose spy upon treasured frail hopes grip tightly to thorns of an acacia branch how they soothe one the sixteen ribs of the lamb a shroud a banished disturbance rouse thee daughter of lucia without eyes bountiful sight what burden you must know seeing an oxen would drag your flesh gauged your eyes too intercession for understanding the wood that houses you crumbles atop weak with fungi buried one will weep a dishclout could he be redeemed take my letter let it wreck you pathetic confounding shriek rotting calla lily thwarted three fates three graces three doves cerberus singing the song of the bell witch i need this candelabra this lantern more than anything for fear of you fear of the unlucky night of chance the winter solstice longer than any night a haunting enema unsubstantial you suck honey a lasting sweetness lest not forget a kiss a strange plasma embellished death at dawn the brass awakens you a threat shrunken prosperity tapestries the saddle the donkey the cattle the mountain goat the most precious pony a herd of sheep run to you the kangal collar points us towards shepherds satellite we are not enemies departed a righteous tortured door your belief in tears death corrodes scraping metal shanks chains dragging pale flag abhorred industrious what sort of accident have we encountered one without you punished by knowing sheathe discord for one is not built for crushing contradiction maxima fibrous a maiden for she is lost leash the pitbulls mistaken cuckold yet you are the one who runs furthest from your wounds a body taught with gauze bewildered where am i running when i am running without you the reaper the fungus the bone the thigh of the horse?
melissa is an artist based in New York.
www.melissa-aliz.net