We were once swans
9 November 2021

I was once a swan
gracefully gliding 
I conquered surfaces of waters
gleaming as they slipped 
tickling my under belly
working their way to my neck
that revealed itself to slaughter


Daytime picked its grind 
tossing me sideways
ripping parts of my wings
as I lay flat on the lake
a sacrifice to my ineptitude
my commonplace fantasy
of being no more


What is left of me loosens
at the edges; it parts
revealing scintillating facets
of places hidden within
where I search for my traces
when I moved head held high
unveiling my togetherness


I am still sometimes a swan
patching feather after feather
through my insides laid bare
retrieving lost wings 
carved inside my memories
They speak of lost paradise 
when we were all children


I see now the swan in her
fleetingly visible in the sun
shadows of her wings soaring
high above the green lake
I see her and feel the ache
She hides it gracefully 
We were once swans


Reading of the poem: 

Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" - Piano Sonata No.14 - Arr. G.Grant