Under Ophelia

By Jen Evans

How came you to this place and why?
It’s never as simple as a stone.
She sways unto the voices,
hearing all and heeding none.
she is collecting a myth —
a tiny island
away from ghosts,
and each twig procures a remedy.
She missteps with one foot in the water.
Is there nothing colder
than my lord’s love?
This is warmer and deeper.
She summons the sand,
his hand smoothing salt on her neck.
How the sun dried each grain to their bodies.
She never wanted to bathe.
And the sun gave her a parting gift.
Too much light isn’t enough for some.
Another foot in the river.
Oh for a simpler life,
a smaller hamlet further from the shore.

 

In memory of Heidi Sue. My best friend and soul sister.
May 28, 1972 – December 30, 1993.
Love Jen