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my sisters climbed after me

my sisters climbed the tree
outside the hospital window
to sneak into my room after visiting hours

they saw my pulse caught in a machine
and translucent vines growing from my arm
into a bag hung from a hook

*

I remember the sunset that night

the colors in the sky
were the same colors in my sister’s dresses

purple azure rosy green ghost gray
and floating white

*

I was told my chest was pried open
like a wooden crate

and the doctor who breached my heart
stitched the murmuring hole closed

*

they say the doctor saved my life

but it was my sisters
who filled me with the colors of the sky 

Michael Spring is the author of three poetry collections:  blue crow (2003) Mudsong (2005) and Root of Lightning (2011). His poems have appeared in numerous publications, including The Atlanta Review, DMQ Review, The Dublin Quarterly, The Midwest Quarterly, NEO, and New Works Review. Michael lives in O'Brien, OR. He is currently a natural builder, a martial art instructor, and a poetry editor for The Pedestal Magazine.