Smoke Cleanse - Celeste Jones

There is unwelcomed rage in my soul, a fire

that only sizzles out when my feet meet with concrete.

But sometimes I like to run with the spark, then my feet

birth another and another until it glares,

which I reluctantly keep like a nightlight,

here to tease every sin tucked away in my tired body.

I met my match in the golden grass –

patterns of wind tracing circles of organic gasoline.

Orange then blue. And orange again

if you look back too quickly.

Do you think my mother knew I’d spark so many fires?

Everyone keeps telling me, my actions are clean

but with my family’s history in these lungs, breathing gets difficult.

I, The Fool, a Self-Portrait, pulled last from the deck.

A body of smoke curled up into the velvet,

spiraling off some singed stick of incense promising a good night’s sleep.

Celeste Jones is a multimedia artist and writer based in Fresno, CA. Originally from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Celeste grew up surrounded by pine trees and rural landscapes. Her work often reflects the complexities of a queer identity shaped by life in these spaces