April 19, 2011

Dead Lighthouse

She stands abandoned on the cliffs.
Waves breaking themselves at her feet
cough up such spumes of spray
the atmosphere chokes.

Tall she stands, and resolute.
Though beauty has not fled her form,
the gears of time have corroded
its illustrious presence.

Hope's beam no longer lights these
shores with grace. Her purpose has
fallen with the sun. Beyond the waves.

Dark hair streaming in the wind,
she lays aside her clothes.
Steps forward.
Leaps into emptiness.
The ocean swallows her whole.

They'll find her body in the morning.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mark, What a very intriguing piece. You star us off in one place and deliver us to a totally different (and unexpected) place at the end. Clever, artful construct. Thanks for stopping by my blog and offering kind words of support. I have no idea on how to subscribe.. I am a "c" student. Vb

Mark Zellner said...

Thank you for stopping by, versebender! I enjoy twist endings to poetry, so this was pretty fun to write! Glad you liked it.

It's no trouble. Turns out you've linked your alias to your website, so that's a good enough bridge. ;)