Ariadne

I slept as you departed, disappearing into the light, while I
remained here in the shadows. This time there is no golden thread
to bind us, or lead me through the labyrinth of your lies.

Did you waver as you turned from me? Or did you
discard your humanity on the sand beside me, a companion
to the despair I would embrace, instead of you, when I woke.

Just before you surrender to sleep, do you hear the phantom
footsteps of misplaced lovers or see the suffused blush projected
on your walls from the burning torches they still carry for you?

You were the monster who prepared the poisonous draft,
but I was the reckless creature who eagerly drained your
venomous brew. Murder or suicide, both routes end in hell.

It was Destiny who led him to my unadorned grave. He dug deep,
overturning the weight you had piled on top of me. Kissing me
with fevered lips he branded a new fate on my soul.

I embraced him with open arms and shuttered eyes
as the tides of fate washed away my tomb of sand. I faltered,
stumbling into his arms as I learned to walk again.

He placed a crown of stars upon my head and wrapped me in his
cloak of immortality. We watch from higher ground as your ship is
engulfed by storms. I turn away, abandoning you to your tempest.

This is Kris' first submission to Aphelion, but his poetry and short fiction has been published in "Ibbetson St Press," "Fables," "Writer's Hood," "The Bay Review," "Alternate Realities," Tributaries," and many other journals, both online and in print. A majority of his time is devoted to reading and working on his own poetry and fiction. Kris spends his days as a New Patient Coordinator in one of Boston's foremost Cancer Care Hospitals. Like writing, it is an endeavor that is challenging, but rewarding, and offers a unique view of the best and worst of humanity.

Find more by Kris Michaels in the Author Index.

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