Sunrise

[Spoken: Ocean Vuong]

When the light comes on

And through every street

The city is doused pink

By the dust of crushed hours

And you are alone only in flesh

And the ghosts you've loved walk with you

Here, on the edge of memory

When you are free only for the length of your name held in my mouth

And the dawn coming off the windows turns our hands blood-red

And we are children again

Running heart-first towards the end of laughter

How strong will we be?

How brave?

How every syllable alive?

No one told us we were good, but we were good

In possession of the cells flowering

As it vanishes inside all the yesterdays behind us

How can we not jump?

Here, at the end

Where each of your burning wings is finally

Made of music