Ashes of Youth

She chooses
to hesitantly
step onto the funeral pyre.

It is lit and
her teeth clench
with pain
her eyes open wide
with expectation.

The Fire burns
for years
for months
for
one moment

teddy bears, popcorn vacuums, and Barbie dolls
Birthdays at Skate City, play dates, and slumber parties with Best Friends
are among the embers
as the Phoenix,
experienced and tempered
Rises,
salvaged from the
Memories of childhood.

Haiku Cycle

I.

Frustrated, contained, and chained.
Restrictive forms of
The Five Paragraph Essay.

II.

Creativity and choice:
Butterfly rising
Free and writing on the wind.