survival is a fungus
it’s ugly
rotten
muddy

it’s not palatable
or cyclical
it’s what mothers warn their children not to touch
because it might be poisonous

survival is a fungus
it grew from the dirt
that gathered beneath my fingernails when i clawed
my way out of a shallow grave

i was not saved
i was not reborn
there was no cleansing fire
i can’t begin anew