INKPOT
Skipping Stones Morgan Obermeyer Illustrations by Saif UI Alim Ahmed
My daytime eyes can’t find you But In dreams I see ripples A glassy pool plays my day in hazy surreality, memories moments in watercolour collage. The noodles I ate for lunch again, A trip to the post office, Humming something out of tune By the canal side Like the shore you taught me How to skip stones The perfect stone, rounded And smooth, Winks back At you Steady, low, loose wrists Send him soaring Skipping, One Two, Three And a distant splash, ripples Sinking, sleeping The game has ended You tell me that’s how we know It was real You tell me: count each skip
I’ve been collecting the perfect stones to share Smooth, time-soaked pebbles winking back, Remembering me Where your eyes can’t reach anymore This one saw my first flat in London This one heard me screaming along to that music you hated This one held my shaking hand as I begged for ease All wrapped tightly in a conscious palm, I lay Sinking, sleeping In dreams I see Ripples, the pool at my feet now, Calling me to count each skip So find me in dreams by still water remembering,
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