House of Salt

Hold, hold The sea keeps a key in its mouth Hold, hold I left a candle in the sink For every thought I could not drink The mirror wore my mother’ s face Then fogged itself to give me space I folded letters into birds But none of them survived the words They circled once above the stove And fell like snow into the cold I don’ t need a miracle clean Just a door that doesn’ t lie Let the wound keep its weather Let the weather teach me why I built a house of salt Where the ocean learned my name Every wall dissolved But I stood there just the same I am not the girl who begged the night to stay I am the match I am the rain I am the one who walks away House of salt Melting slow All I lost Let me grow The floor remembered every fight In little clicks beneath the light I pressed my ear against the grain Heard roots rehearsing after rain You called my grief a pretty room I opened windows in the gloom Now all the dust I used to save Is dancing out across the day I don’ t want a softer cage I want an exit with a sound If I have to lose my outline Let it fall onto the ground I built a house of salt Where the ocean learned my name Every wall dissolved But I stood there just the same I am not the girl who begged the night to stay I am the match I am the rain I am the one who walks away No choir, no crown Just my breath coming back around No saint in the frame Just a body keeping flame I forgive the door for closing I forgive my hands for bruising I forgive the sea for taking What was never meant to stay I built a house of salt And I let it meet the rain Every wall dissolved Till nothing hid my name I am not the girl who made a bed of pain I am the match I am the rain I am the one who walks away Hold, hold The sea gives the key to my mouth I speak And the room lets me out