Renewal

by Caroline Allen

I’m looking for

Someplace pure,

Gentle. Somehow

The present poisons

The past, as an

Author’s fate colors

Their work, perfumes

With incense,

Unravels innocence.

We only know

What to avoid

By seeing it, parsing

Whispered warnings,

Wrung out meanings.

And yet, there is

A place within,

A wild, precious

Intersection of

Dying and being

Born recurring,

Simultaneous,

A wide-eyed look,

A clear deep breath,

Cool, flittering,

Like a song

Sparrow in my palm,

Or at least how

I imagine holding

One would be.

*first published in Poetry for Mental Health

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Caroline Allen is from Raleigh, NC. She is an avid reader and finds writing and collage creative outlets for expressing and experiencing faith. Her work is published in Ekstasis Magazine, Poetry for Mental Health, and  Solid Food Press. Her day job is working in administration and conference management at the University of North Carolina.