The Marrow is a creative dissection of the healing process, using the imagery of alchemy and anatomy to transform the weight of the past into new life.
This is where I peel back the skin of the mundane to see the gears grinding underneath. These pieces are dissections, part forensic report, part metaphysical fever dream. They are the artifacts found when you dig deep enough to hit the bone of the matter.
Start in the center of the cooling hearth.
Sift the greyest flakes of the aftermath
until the fingers are stained charcoal.
The furnace did not destroy the weight;
it only burned away the soft parts.
Collect the heavy remains in a clean jar.
Carry the jar to the edge of the river.
Pour the heated remnants into the tide
until the water Hisses and the steam rises.
Watch the metal turn from red to black.
This is the hardening of the history;
the cooling of the things that used to hurt.
Take the blackened silver and the stone.
Wrap them in the hair of a younger ghost
and tie the knot with the strength of a jaw.
The pieces must become a single pillar—
a spine that does not bend for the wind
or break under the weight of the mountain.
Bury the bound pillar in the dark soil.
Pour the last of the salt over the earth
to keep the scavengers from the roots.
Wait for the underground pulse to start.
The ground is no longer a place for burying;
it is a womb made of iron and dirt.
Draw the new shape out of the mud.
Wipe the clay from the eyes and the mouth.
The transition is complete; the skin is cold,
but the core is vibrating with a fresh heat.
The old fire is dead. The new life is forged.
The anatomy is ready for the first breath.
The inheritance arrived in a rusted lockbox,
not gold, but the teeth of a piano long dead.
I planted the ivories in the garden's wet throat
to see if a melody could grow from the dirt.
Instead, the soil coughed up white splinters,
biting the hands that tried to make it sing.
Brandi Lynn is a writer, artist, and literacy specialist (M.S.Ed.) currently pursuing a Doctorate in Metaphysical Science. Her work, ranging from poetry to children’s stories, explores the intersections of healing, neurodivergence, and the messy human experience. View her credentials and press features.
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