A Distant Shore

Mar 10

And here we are,

Sullen little darling;

A fantastical dream of yours,

A mirage even as you splashed

Rain to a parched season.

Did you creep to the edge,

Only to sprint to the bottom?

I know you wanted to taste the sea—

A cup full of brine and sand and specks.

Did you want to bathe in it, too?

Now your skin darkens,

Split ends bleaching,

As the scorching sun bears down.

You invite her to envelop you,

As you embrace your transformation.

Beautiful as you are, my love,

Born with a wintery hue,

Now my summer queen.

The ocean in your veins, but starved in your gut;

Freckles over your shoulders and burns on your back.

For the winds have drafted to the northeast,

The tides crashing to a changing rhythm,

Pelicans speckled as they follow their prey.

You are left on the shore, debris in your eyes.

You are a fossil of this once-oasis land.

Your throat sore from the salt;

Sickly, slender frame and blanched exterior.

No longer fit to make snow angels,

As you sit in this wasteland, praying for the seasons,

My ambitious, courageous dear.

Artist’s statement: The virtue of persistence, the thrill of pursuit, the pain of it all.

Creative Writing XII

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