i have been like you by Mela Blust

​caught in the whirlwind
of my own heavy heart,
wishing to come up for air.

tonight, a barred owl
jars the silence of two am, 
asking a question we both know has no answer.

you, too, spilled "why?" 
into a hollow void that spat
it right back at you.

i want to tell you that
one day, your heart will fit in the hollow of your chest again, 
and all that you pour will be poured into you.

outside, wind shakes the branches a little,
and the whisper of wings tells me
the one who held questions

on his lips
has stopped asking
and gone away.

tomorrow, i find blood
in the same place
under the branches – 

something is always sacrificed 
for the way
a night-heart wanders.


Mela Blust is an award nominated poet whose work has appeared in various literary journals such as The Sierra Nevada Review, Rust & Moth, The Bitter Oleander, and many, many more. She has written two books of poetry with a third on the way, and can be followed on twitter as @melablust.