the slick and razor edges
of the roaring sea cut
cracked and burned skin.
this body was heavy and weak
the muscles tired and worn;
i allowed this vessel to sink
beneath the abyss.
golden light pierced the depths
in an effort to lead me to safety.
i pretended i did not see the signs.
lured and lulled into slumber by
the sound of the crashing sea spray,
i did not awaken at the
threat of suffocation.
there, the walls of mercy trembled.
there, my flaws did not go unnoticed.
the deceptive lilt of the waves
beckoned me to forget the
name i was given and
the way true love felt.
my eyes were not opened
until gentle hands,
tinged with a warm righteousness,
coaxed me from the grasp of the sea.
I will not forget the soft voice that
has filled me with hope or
those graceful eyes that have become
my solace, my refuge.
that summer I found a home,
still and steady on the cliffside.
those hands worked quickly
to mend the broken layers of flesh,
to put out the fire that once burned
and ravaged my lungs.
compassionate kisses soaked up my tears
as if to heal me.
as if to love me.
Samantha Smith is a senior in college. She grew up in Berea, Kentucky. Samantha has no idea where life will take her, but she supposes the mystery is part of the fun.