Poem: Bridge
The bones of the bridge
tremble beneath the weight
that I carry with me.
I strain and pull it
trying to reach the
other side before the setting sun
lowers beneath the horizon,
but it snags and catches
on every rough patch.
Exhausted I pause in the middle
to peek over the side
into the beautiful sparkle
of the waters below.
The welcoming waters.
I hear the whisper
beckoning me to come
closer, slip over the edge
sink beneath and be swept
pure. The sun dips and tucks
away to sleep as the
moon awakens the night.
The stars reflect the
wisdom of my ancestors
and shine back at
me in the awaiting waters.
Leaning forward, I’m swayed
by the rhythm of the crest
and fall of waves.
I slip, caught in the
chest by the railing, my
arms dangle over the edge
and the weight I carried
slides from my shoulders
crashing into the water
before drifting downstream.
Chirping crickets remind
me I’m not done with my
journey.
Free of the burden, I stand
taller than before and
cross the bridge to introduce
my new courage to the moon.
There were so many lovely lines in this piece, especially this one:
“The sun dips and tucks
away to sleep as the
moon awakens the night.”
I also love that whole first line and how it just pulls the reader in. 🙂 And I really like how you ended it on such an uplifting note.
Thank you. I’ve noticed over time, more hope finds its way into my poetry. I had to place it there with great effort at first, but it’s getting easier. Although, it doesn’t make it into every poem. I have discovered hope enters my fiction without effort though.
You’re welcome!
And don’t worry if you can’t fit hope into every poem. Sometimes it’s just the nature of the poem beast. Some pieces just want to be melancholy. 😀
What a masterpiece, Mandy! Oh, the imagery! <3
Oh, thank you!
You’re utmost welcome. I especially like:
The stars reflect the
wisdom of my ancestors
and shine back at
me in the awaiting waters.
I remember editing that section, so I’m glad the rewrite worked.
To me this is like a dream that want to tell you something…
not ready yet, we have things to do… but some of the burdens can be dropped.
Isn’t that the trick? We think we have to carry our burdens with us always. I often forget that maybe I should just set them down, so I can keep moving forward.