Mela Blust
youth is a bleak black ribbon
frayed and fraying and wrapped
around the neck
something dark swallows you
a wisp, a whisper – find the hand
of god
we salt the ache
we wish on wind
we pray for love
hand our hearts to those
who hold
the scythe
***
Mela Blust is a moonchild, and has always had an affinity for the darkness. She is a poet, a painter, a sculptor, and a jeweler. She has been writing poetry since she was a child. Her work has appeared in The Bitter Oleander, Isacoustic, Rust+Moth, Anti Heroin Chic, Califragile, Tilde Journal, Setu Magazine, Rhythm & Bones Lit, and more, and is forthcoming in The Nassau Review, The Sierra Nevada Review, and The Stray Branch, among others. Her debut poetry collection, Skeleton Parade, is forthcoming with Apep Publications in 2019. She is the social media coordinator for Animal Heart Press, as well as a poetry reader for The Rise Up Review. She can be followed at https://twitter.com/melablust.