"thistle hurt" & "grayscale" by J. R. Wilkerson

thistle hurt

spied

a thistle in

my pasture

she cuts,

i’ve bled some

same as

before, you’re

just as lovely and

unwelcome

grayscale

how they find me

she says, like a habit

i can’t break

so she chameleons

softens, smiling

her colors bleed

perennial

but if by

relapse or

relenting

should they run dry

she’ll

be reminded

to go and

find some

more

J. R. Wilkerson is a resident of Northern Virginia by way of Lawrenceburg, Missouri.