Covered in thick metallic plates

A shield against feeling

Anything —

Not even the persistent howl

For agency

For desires you decided had to die —

Knowing that cry within myself

I sensed it

Or maybe I saw it in an amulet

When I brought you to natural, warm waters

Sheltered between lilacs and willows

We submerged our bodies in the crystal reverie

And I called that voice forward

Breathing life into dormant dreams

Now,

Will you put down your arms

And listen to him sing?