Bounteous Alchemies

Soulmates by Lynette Marie

Sometimes,

we see ourselves in a twinkling past

where we were magicians

(or were we alchemists?),

with tricks transforming

the ordinary to fancy

and dust to gold.

And I made a stiff cane into billowing silk,

and you made crimson flowers appear

like flames rising out of clear water held

upon a table by perfect but invisible hands.

And I made the peeling walls

of an ancient castle seem

like rose petals floating through air,

and you made the sea

drape and twist like a golden mist.

And I made the vines of grapes

entwine and pause and lean,

and you made the simple sounds of town

drone like a fluent orgasm in a vivid dream.

And we melted into amber and alabaster

the clamoring afternoon,

and I made your choked and hoarse

laughter soften in its flight.

And all of this we did before night.

But then came the violent rains

and in my sleep you spoke to me,

and your words fell soft and blue

upon my blurred and somber face.

And the rain washed your words away

while the moon hid behind the clouds,

and we walked the forest floor

and dawn did finally unfold.

And the sky was lit,

and morning arrived.

And you said,

Look, a new day has begun.

And I remembered

what it means to be alive.