black leather boots kick
fine soil down from a cliff-side perch –

disperses into an ill-coloured cloud,
the way my brain feels.

i draw your attention to
the deadly nightshade berries,

ripe with summer. shades of
affection and oxygenated blood.

they call it devil’s herb, a relative
of tobacco and wolfberry.

i call it a pretty thing
on an ugly day.

—–

sydney mcneill is a 23-year-old poet from edmonton, canada.  she lives in the small moments that slip through everyone’s fingertips all the time.  she likes to promote inclusive art at http://www.seafoammag.com and to scatter her writing around the internet (some of which can be found at http://www.sydneymcneillwrites.com).