Elles

She was right there
Her crystal laugh
Rustled through the pages
Of my school books
She talked about friendship
Eternal and unbreakable
As if nothing ever
Should separate us

We were the age of our dolls
And we played tag

She was right there
Lying on my bed
The mist of her hair
Intertwined with mine
Her porcelain arms
Surrendered to the sheets
I was new and fragile
Strangely defeated

We were the age of twenty
And we played pretend

She was right there
Disarming her curves
I searched through her treasures
With transparent charms
She stuck to my skin
Like a bee to honey
Dizzy from the absence
Of the man so loved

We were of an advanced age
And we sought to calm down

She’s no longer right there
I’ve turned back time
From divinity
All claws retracted
I summon my demons
In the shattered lights
To clear the way
For the tormented man

We have no age or memory
Our paths have separated

She’s no longer right there
I’m chained to the body
Of the present man
And my becoming
I’ve bent the knee
Without ever bowing my soul
Close your eyes, love
And find your rest

I’ve crossed stormy nights
To be nothing but my own image