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When you were standing
on the shoreline—protagonist of
a restless cast; watching darkness
ripen into morning . . .

When lapping waves
licked the lips of a
bank of sand, and
your thoughts rode out to sea—

morsels on the palms of silence—
tossed by the waves but did not sink . . .

When you used up your
stock of sympathy and scraped
the barrel’s bottom of congealed
tears . . .

When the sharp agony of
a broken heart pounced!

And
your tears hollowed out a stone
not by force but by
falling often . . .

When the gods sat around
a campfire trading stories
of mortality—

fumes from their sighs—
needlestreaks of light
tore through Heavensgate . . .

When the Fates guided the willing, and
compelled the unwilling.

When, . . .

you were only a gleam in the eyes of the gods.

 

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Post image by Davide D’Amico via Flickr

 

About the Author:

Portrait - EgwuenuEyitemi Egwuenu is a Nigerian-born Australian poet and novelist. He trained as a Medical Doctor, and obtained a PhD in cardiovascular neuroscience. He is the author of the collection of poems, Torque, and the novel, Tetelestai. He lives in Sydney. Follow Eyitemi on Facebook and Twitter. You can also check him out on Youtube and his Amazon Author Page.