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By: Reese Walker
Posted on: September 25, 2022
Cover Image title: LOOK AT ME
Cover Image by: Linaarika Das
Classification: Photography
Year: 2022
A lover
whose date expired years ago,
comes back around
despite his rotten taste.
Under the streetlight,
he wraps me in his cardigan
the dim stars shining a
spotlight on his smile.
The wool woven
like an heirloom of
our love, all those years ago.
My scars turned to art,
hung in a museum,
since I first saw him.
His hands wrapped around me,
only to pull out a dagger
and stab me in the back.
A band-aid won’t stop
my heart from bleeding
out for him.
A card laid
is a card played,
but I saw his hand
long before the royal flush.
The ending set
in stone,
he believed he was
King Arthur.
The witches cast their
curse on us,
through the crystal ball
I could see the cauldron.
The second star, to the right,
I can see Neverland,
but what if
I found Wonderland.
His shadow
sewn to mine,
haunting me with questions
of all the what-ifs.
The note rings off key,
he changed the melody
even when I memorized
the chords.
The piano was the only
thing to save me
when we drowned
in the black sea.
//
In the black sea,
the piano is an open door
to a world with her.
Bubbles of his breath
rose to the surface,
his head remained below
the waves.
I climb into a new fantasy,
filled with mythical things.
A golden string,
invisible to others,
leads me to her.
My ruined plans
with him
crumble with the castle
woven with vines.
The string pulls me
to a home
she built for us.
My scars from him
not yet healed.
Now, my heart
bleeds out for her,
running like water.
The river flows
beside the gold path
to her.
I see her in my
reflection,
but when I reach for her
she is gone.
Was she even there?
My soul is as hollow as
the bent willow
pointing towards her.
The piano invites me in,
her hands resting
on the keys,
as the melody fills the room
and the empty part in me.
Once upon a time,
I knew everything
but now, as she speaks
I know nothing.
She is everything,
I have found myself
a lover.
Poet's Note:
This poem is inspired by the song "Cardigan" and "Willow" by Taylor Swift. The "//" indicates the change from Cardigan (Folklore) to Willow (Evermore) between the songs. It speaks of the love flowing from one lover to the next and being able to move on, when all you can hold onto is the only constant in your life, music.
Photographer's Note:
The photo was taken on a digital camera (the Fujifilm-XT20) in Los Angeles, California.
* The End *
[Writing Editor: Catherine]