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After Wanderlust, Finally Land

I have jumped the couch cushions of Mount Vesuvius,
Tiptoed above lava floors. The carpet was
Smoldering.

Then we landed on a hammock ship,
It swayed along the wayside, the waves waiting
For pirates.

I wanted to pass the years under oaks,
And oaths, but life changes and you find yourself
Under ash.

Separated and out to sea, I lost and I
Gained. But the sea wasn't full of familiar faces,
It churned,

Waiting for another rock to mosey into view.
But mostly there were just shells, tossed
By the waves.

I took out my cutlass, thinking I might use it
As a harpoon, and out of the salt soup of life,
You parried.

I didn't see the excursion. I just felt the efficiency
Of your blade against mine, as if equals,
well-matched.

When the sails came down, we used them for blankets,
You said they were the softest illusion you'd ever,
Ever held.

But when we reached the lighthouse,
You hoisted the skull-and-crossbones,
Eyes afar.

Peering elsewhere, gold filling your hull,
You sailed and sank to the bottom, of the
Dead Sea.

Rowing hard, I found more than an island.
I saw the branches of family in his eyes, an oak, an oath, a tree.

--

Mad Words List 8.14.18

Pass
Mosey
Wanderlust
Journey
Separation
Afar
Lost
Efficiency
Excursion

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