In the Black Sea Lies a Lover

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]