there's a place

where the trees have

golden leaves

they form a halo of amber fire

ablaze in the night sky

I seek them in my dreams

and grasp the bark that cut my fingers

in the winter,

the leaves fall and form

vermilion petals

that dye the snow crimson

like blood stains on my white kimono.

he once said,

my eyes were like those leaves,

changing as the seasons passed by

like pale fire that smoldered in the rain.

all I ever wanted was to be a midnight star

but instead I was a forest fire that killed

everything in its wake.