let yourself wonder for a moment.               unbecoming     ,    the world UNWINDING in your fingertips.           where is reality    ,    for surely you are no longer within it        ?           ponder the hue of his eyes      ,      the curve of his lips.           LOVELINESS WITHOUT AND WITHIN.         a dream world     ,    fractal patterns of your own delirium played out.        his warmth goes to the very marrow of your bones     ,    never before have you felt such FIRE on your skin.                   (        lucky your hands already HOLD him     ,   less they find their home exploring his face      ,     lost within his hair.       )                     voice made of weariness and all things GENTLE ———–                you do not honor it was a response.    it’s not NEEDED.        he’s already LOST to the world once more.             cradle him close to your chest and begin your journey.             it’s your home   ,    after all.            a place cluttered with your memories      ,        with the journey you have found your way through.          flashes of katara in the kitchen             ,             your father in his favorite chair doing work         ,         aang BOUNCING through the front door to pull you all away on another adventure.         even ZUKO        ,      there         ,       a quiet presence.        there    ,     when you swore you saw him SMILE     ,       again    ,    while you sat with him as he lived through his frustration and agony.           and now a new one          ,         a memory to be bathed in gold and remembered in WARMTH and surprise.            your feet find their path    ,    you blink and you stand in your room.           thoughts carried you away when you could not find answers.           breathe           ,           feel your heart thunder beneath his head.         how do you lay him down now      ?     when he is already held so dearly within your arms       ,     within the safety you know you provide.                  his hair tickles against your chin.           slowly       ,       settle into a chair        ,       keep him held against you      ,     something in your heart UNWILLING to let go.

          it’s   because   you’re   haunted.        where    your   mind   becomes   unfit   to   comprehend    reality          &         fiction    ,   where   the   twisted   soul   of   someone   darker    becomes   apparent.                   WHO   IS   THAT   IN   THE   MIRROR          ?                the   boy   who   looks   like   you   ,    but   o    ,   does    he    terrify.   the   countenance   of   someone    you    know    too   well                  OR     WORSE.             the    person   who   knows   you    better    than    you    know    yourself.       feel   your   heart   ,   how   rapidly   it   beats   in   your   chest.                 can   you   look   at    him            ?                     do    you    know   that   face   that   haunts          ?                          the    boy   who   saw   through    your   stoic   gaze             &           the   boy   who   turns   your   body    cold.                             HE   IS   YOU     /     YOU    ARE    HIM.                     sound   made   ,   subtle          &         restless   from   lips   painted   red.       shifted   lashes    ,     body    turns.                it’s    not    much    ,    but   you   only    wake    for   a   moment   brief   ,   golden   hue   bathed   in   the   waning   moon.                      he’s    right   there    ,    holds   you   close.     you   can   hear   it                if   you    listen.      the   way   his   heart   beats   ,   steady   in    his   chest.                        reminds    you    of    something    you    never   had.           reminds   you    of    the   way    life    should   have   been.                        then    you    falter   again   ,    head    falls    towards   him.          this    time   it’s   black.    the   type   of   darkness   that   dares   swallow   you   whole.             breathe.           feel    the   fire   that   exudes   from   your   heart    drown   your   veins   ,   burns    your                                            WAKE   UP         !         sudden    jolt    ,     sharp   inhale.      ❛         shit.         ❜         blink   ,    watch   the   silence   unfold   around   you    ,    as   chest   rises        &        falls.

I DIED BEFORE I WAS CREATED   //   MADE OF ASHES.