By Death, She Lives

By Death, She Lives

   Jenna Vélez

I was born in a blood moon

Coughed up like vampire pearl

The smell of burnt skin

The char of women

Wise beyond their tears

Formed me by mortar and pestle

I emerged in the firelight

We dance and die by

Yet the water ebbs and flows

In a sanguineous sea

Embryonic and embalming

My first cry was an echo

A bubble in the blue

And so will be my last

Everything between is god

The earth and air

To bury and breathe again

Jenna Vélez  is an emerging poet and wild woman from suburban Philadelphia. She has been featured or forthcoming in over a dozen literary magazines and journals. Her work sheds light on relationships, identity, trauma, and spiritualities that have made her who she is. Jenna also runs The Northern Bruja's Grimoire column at Pussy Magic Press.  She tweets @northernbruja and can be found at jennavelez.weebly.com.