haint blue bottle trees

sunlight scintillates on blue bottle faces high-pitched whistling with the rising winds bottoms up bottles hang from naked tree limbs upside down cerulean glass Christmas trees ghost spirits coming as the moon is ripening announced by smells of sea breeze and lilies chortling at bottle trees, fingernails plucking them ‘pinging’ sounds peal against blue bottle glass spirits pull you from your bed, a-wailing-with serpentine masks of monsters and things bulging eyes stare at you-snouts where the chins should be gold, mossy-green, blue, blood and tar feathers and hairs and hide of all kinds haunts that teach you to shape-shift and howl growl / yammer / yowl / hiss / razz / boo / cry breathless, you gyrate through rainbow-smoked hoops

Mama brings soup as the last smoke wisps lift asks you to eat since the haunts have moved on drained, you lie under blue bottle trees letting the brown grass caress your brown calves next day, you’re back in school–unaware a spell’s been cast lunch with your BFF: sandwiches and laughs black wing-nubs hidden from prying eyes sprout under your oversized lavender tee walking from school, images worm your mind, exhaling brown girl-inhaling grey-haired fox exhaling brown girl-inhaling large Black crow

Mama’s planted another blue bottle tree spirits pull you from your bed, a-wailing-with serpentine masks of monsters and things bulging eyes stare at you-snouts where the chins should be gold, mossy-green, blue, blood and tar