A story-poem exploring a couple's journey into an afterlife, but only one can come back |
As soon as you died I caught your ship, holding at the rails You turned back at my wails The captain let me on board Though the price we paid was steep A guaranteed rough journey Into the realms of the bleak Each port a sarcophagi of souls Stone dead and cold With no heat to go by We lit the flames with each step We made our love there Those we touched, we revived When you dined with the head of the ship I waited until you left your talks What secrets of death did he tell you? Because your smiles after those times Were always lack-lustre That night the vessel sprang a leak We were down there, was it a week? Bailing out the ceaseless tide Working side-by-side You knew, it was only the start This elaborate manifestation of ours Was falling apart Our Captain kept his eye on us Sharing looks with you I felt you drift When I saw you caught up in the winds Up those masts Sails beating at the fringe Less man by the day More soul than I can say At night, through our cabin window I watched you fly above the ship One day the captain came to the door And watched you too, he sat by me Silent on the swaying bed On my shoulder Draped his warm hand He looked so sad Spoke many words I can't recall Meaning drifted away But I knew Your golden hairs gleaming In the starlight I knew your new life Was not with me My cheeks burned with salty tears I said they came from the sea But I did not fool the captain The next day, he steered us back To the Land of the living The most wrenching goodbye "See you on the next passage!" I left your ship Safely on static ground I turned around In mist the ship melted away You flew free Into the light of a Summerland Day |