"spirit guide"

"spirit guide"
written with a rusty history by jake kilroy.

i died in the arms of a night one time,
years ago, out in the forest of oregon.
the mist coursed through my lungs,
and my clothes reeked of the pines.
all that was left was a baptism revival
in the long, cold arteries of the river.
an acoustic guitar crooned from the fire.
a girl waited for me back in california.
the headlights popped from my eyes,
and my friends let me disappear
into the woods as a quiet specter.

my limbs spread out like that of a dead bird's,
dragged slowly from the ground to a headdress.
fireflies passed me, curious, and then followed.
the animals winced when they saw me fly,
but they slowly moved, mesmerized, to watch.
the trees saluted me with grace and madness.
and the sky rolled over me like a blanket.
i was a sight to behold.

by morning, i had no answer for where i went.
i was smoke in my own cavern of a traveler's body.
and i remember the sounds of nature's well-wishes.
but i don't know where i ended up.
it was somewhere above life,
but not quite the life above.
that's the last time i remember being magnificent.
since then, i've drank the potions under a few mystic tents
and swam nude while laughing 'til the moon made me dizzy.
but there's always the wild woods of oregon
to remind me i'm forever human
and it's forever a blessing.