Amulet

There is a sharp sparkle in the dark
Of a spider’s web. Its labyrinth hovers
Like a quiet jewel as midnight

Lovers cross a river’s bridge –
Silk girders string to cloud,
Taut rafters cast off moonlight.

Spectral hands move in shadows –
The castle’s hollows cry an answer.
The web spun a neon amulet,

A water angel at its dense vertex
To snag dreams and fangs –
As years pass, she is wrapped

In by unending, white bandages –
A phantom’s heartache surged
Like stake straight through her heart.

At a distance, there appears to be
A lily bud shivering against blackness or
An earthworm twisting in its cocoon.

One can not be too sure –
The silhouette is a mystery still,
Yet this first snow is pure

And every atom begins again within.

Holly R. Appling lives in Canada. Her poems have appeared in various print and online publications. More of her writing is at www.hollyappling.wordpress.com.

Find more by Holly R. Appling in the Author Index.

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