I never meant to tell you that the moon would rise
And the sun would sink into a fiery headhaze
Confounding the barrier of sky and earth.
You took me seriously
Lifted your head to the sun like a daisy, and
Wanting to lilt your way to the heavens
Like a wounded bird
You never
Allowed
For the shift in the tides.
You flew on battered wings
Battling, bless your heart, to rise
Actually making it to the top
Only to realize
Sucking in scum at the bottom
Was always what you were better at
The thought of it invasive,
Becoming a dark, wet comfort like the sea
Ripples in the sand subjugated by the water
Traces of us disappearing
As soon as they are made
This is all we are left with
Me, on my desert island with the things I would bring,
And you, trying to float on a wave somewhere
Only to be kidnapped by the mermaids
And laid to sleep
Aside their coral castles.
