the smallest unit.
beauty and terror
in trace amounts....
it counts for little to our senses.
but its impact is immeasurable,
for it is undetectable and thus
gets past our guards.
shards of the fractured crystal heart
of a forgotten dragon.
flechettes that forget nothing
for they are soulless,
like so many lovers.
but I have seen your fire.
even banked, it burns on...
and I will warm myself oneday
when amotations are again allowed
in the dreams of the waking dead.
until then,
let us drink our drinks of trace elements.
and I will teach you alchemy of the heart.


copyright William F. DeVault