I found it on the floor,
broken and bleeding,
This thing of useless beauty
I grew in my secret heart,
But it would not die.
I’ve tried to kill it before.
It’s been kicked and subdued,
Starved and smothered,
But it’s conspired with the moon
To rise from burning embers
Each cycle anew.
A phoenix burning bright
Born of hope and faded dreams,
Flames damped unwanted,
A little more wounded,
Just another forgotten phantasm.
Julie Shiel has had poetry and short stories published in various magazines and anthologies in the past including “Penumba”, “Mythic Delirium”, “Twilight Times” and many others. She currently lives in Maryland with her furry companions.