ODE TO ALL THE ARTISTS

You will not –

hold me
down, mr.
man will not
shave off my eyebrows or
yank out my teeth or rip lashes
from my lids or chop limbs at my
knees you will not – you

cannot –
reduce me.

You cannot --
quash

my flame, mr.
man cannot piss
on my bonfire hurl
water on my torch snuff the
innate hot blaze that long makes
my skin scorch cannot hush that

spicy sizzle

in my soul – that
consumes me with
the need to
create.

-Ryn Gargulinski.12.05.10