The Day I Became a Cloud
A poetic portrait of grief in an Abecedarian
After our goodbye, that’s when it appeared.
Barely noticed at first, floating gray wisps,
Cumulonimbus it became, lightning,
Darkening, should have been alarmed, wasn’t.
Especially since its shape was like yours
Fancied it was you back where you belong.
Gradually it migrated closer
Hovering so near, heartbeat-like thunder.
I didn’t resist when it kept inching,
Just let it envelope me, absorb me,
Kissed by its mist, rattled by its tempest,
Letting it obscure my eyes, fill my mouth,
Matching storms mingling, merging to be one
Never your shape, all this time it was mine.
Only too late did I see the danger,
Pried free from my own bones, I’d been replaced.
Quite strange, to be the cloud and it be me.
Reaching down, fighting against the rising
Skyward bound for being unsuspecting
Tethered below by a single gold thread
Unraveling with me, but still secure,
Veil torn, you’re gone, but not for good, I pull.
Welcomed back to myself as truth triumphs,
Xanthic rays of sun I feel, clouds abate
Yearning for you, yes, always, yet at peace
Zenith reached by standing on solid ground.
About the Creator
D.K. Shepard
Character Crafter, Witty Banter Enthusiast, World Builder, Unpublished novelist...for now
Fantasy is where I thrive, but I like to experiment with genres for my short stories. Currently employed as a teacher in Louisville.
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More stories from D.K. Shepard and writers in Poets and other communities.
The Harvest
Koyi wobbled to her shabby wood and straw kaz, holding her machete and an old burlap bag with some yams. Someone had laid another basket in front of the patched up door—rose apples today. They were a bright reddish pink, looking waxy and crisp, just the way she liked them. The culprit knew her very well. Those would be crunchy, juicy and sweet—she could tell—but she gathered all the will she could muster and pushed the basket aside to enter her home. She had already said no repeatedly and would not be taking bribes.
By Lily Séjor2 days ago in Fiction
Comments (5)
Oh this is wonderful...sad...but beautifully penned. And love the use of Xanthic! One of my favourite new words I discovered for Abecedarians lol! this just felt effortlessly smooth from start to finish and had such a strong and relatable theme. Well done. Thank you for highlighting this as part of my crazy challenge and sorry it's taken longer for me to get to everyone!
I thought at first it was a malevolent cloud but soon realised its metaphorical purpose.
I do love the use of the Xanthic, it is the most difficult letter. Grief can make you feel like a cloud and getting back to the ground is most difficult. This is well done.
Oh, D.K., someone once told me to 'feel' poetry, which is different from being in the moment when a piece of fiction is good, and I felt your poem. It's lovely AND, I learned a new word: Xanthic!
"Kissed by its mist" - liked that bit best!