Original Poetry By Toniann Pellington

The Giving Tree

She buries her roots, provides her bough
She nourishes the spirit with her fruit
Swallow thy bitterness in burning dao

Palm through her script, and follow thy pursuit
Lift up your voice and glimpse the light somehow
She buries her roots, provides her bough

Within the tempest, Holier-than-thou
Rejoice! Rejoice! For hope is the route
Swallow thy bitterness in burning dao

Glorious, she rises from the soot
And wipes the earth beneath her furrowed brow
She buries her roots, provides her bough

Strung is her sinewed-backed juniper bow
Sailing to choose where she will uproot
Swallow thy bitterness in burning dao

Whispering faithfulness, taking a vow
Where there can be none to refute
She buries her roots, provides her bough
Swallow thy bitterness in burning dao.

Garden Path

Trapped within a cycle
Birthed from the depths of my ire
Solitude, my peace—
As my heart aches for stillness
That Eden may yet grant me.

Sweet, Sweet Indies Breeze

Reaching for the memories of my youth,
swaddled by a milky scent.
Cherub cheeks
I squeal
as the ocean rushes
to greet my feet.
Delighting in the warmth of coral sand.

Like imprints in the sand,
the laughs fade,
washed away by the upwelling current.
Laugh lines harden into frowns,
the tides ebb.
The gentle, sweet breeze
begins to sour.

Gazing at the setting sun,
teeth chattering in the frigid air.
Feet planted on snowy mounds,
I long for times
I simply enjoyed,
the sweet, sweet
Indies breeze.

Skin Teeth

In my dreams I yearn
your skin between my teeth,
your breath stroking my ear,
sweat on my tongue,
a scorching all-consuming warmth.
I want to delve in deeper—
golden light
reflecting off your skin,
your silky threads of hair
slipping through my fingers.
My cupped hands reaching
through your ribcage
to drink from the well of your soul,
where I find my solace
buried deep into your bones.