I Imagine
I imagine her pearl-pink clouds crashed into gray and the wind
grew too stiff, blowing leaves into sparring wars over a dull earth.
I imagine the sun flashed peculiar rays and slanted in odd directions
leading her along mossy, twisted lanes. Distorted knots of limbs and
rotted clamor of vines caused her to stumble along wooded paths as
she circled around dark, murky ponds and forgotten storybook rhymes.
I imagine her strong, youthful body was lulled into a frail pattern,
and unfamiliar melodies, softly sung, clashed in harsh tones that
once lilted sweetly upon her tongue. Her ballroom dances became
tangled behind stones,and shadows of a cruel thief lured her through
endless doorways. I imagine she grasped at stars that dangled from
a black sky, then melted away with her touch, and the moon was
scrubbed from her hands and tossed to the nightjars. Clocks died,
and their numbers ticked away into foreign bays while her mind
ebbed and waned in the thick ocean mist. She could no longer
embrace all she held dear as she rocked between the present
and past, then tripped into white, sticky webs that held her still.
But I imagine she catches glimpses of brown candy sacks from
The Five and Dime, of lanes taking her down to sand plum groves,
and of time spent under a swollen sun as she tuned in crooners
belting out songs from the past while holding the moon and stars
once more. And I know her heart leaps when she sees my face
and hears my voice before it is cast to the wind...for some things,
I imagine, are strong enough to last.
Copyright © Dana Young | Year Posted 2019
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