Requiem for Ophelia
by @alina-katura-burniston-perez
Running down the riverbank
The moss is wet and slippery
The willow trees whisper in the breeze
As I dance with the wind
Smells of sweet honeydew and rotten leaves
Paint a smile on my face
The water lilies and narcissus bloom
White pedals in my wake
Ivy leaves like snakes do slither
And trap me in their grip
Tangle my flighty feet in its long fingers
And I meet the icy arms of the creek
The splash is loud and the slap is hard
But how I love to swim
It is cold and calm and I hum along
How it echoes in the deep
My feet are numb and my lip trembles
My battered clothes catch on reaching branches
tug me farther in
Like childrens hands excitingly pulling me close
Before too long all my troubles are gone
the restlessness finally settles
Blue blood like ink
pops out of my paper skin
I close my eyes and succor my speeding heart
And there I am, frozen and damned
From my seaweed hair to my dead white feet
The nymph of earth, water, and air
I relinquish this life of pain
Of empty pernicious words
Flirtations will no promises
Hamlet, Father, Laertes I am no longer in debt to thee
Ophelia my sweet, come from the waters deep
Thy flesh has grown so cold
Soft skin wrinkles into old
A bitter bark stains my tongue
Oh god what have I done?