Arthur’s Seat

Arthur’s Seat

Kelsey Rolofson

The pathway parts tangled naked underbrush

Traverses burgeoning thickets of prickled thistles

budding inviolate, blooming soft lavender warmth

I gently nudge through the sea of laving petals

Twinkling magenta bells line the worn stone steps

An ascent marked only by rolling majesty of clouds fading brilliance

Below, ancient town nestled within blue-green crinkles

Ahead, vast expanse stretches the sea into melted heaven

I arrive, take my seat and settle in.

Shroud of dimmed cloudlight.

Flash of wind.

Swirl of gull.

A drop here and there

They whiz past, pelting and pecking

Sharp pitter-patters as I tumble down the steps A crest rising up to meet me

The stairs shrinking away at the smack of my feet

Elastic skin tensed by threads diametric

Lizard-rain slithers into veiled glossy eyes

A slip—

a grasp for the brush—

Ballooned gloves with a crimson smile

Tiny serpents mired in my skin

Little Nessies wriggling the mirror face of the loch

Garden of criss-crossed trestles and unfurling waves

Snail in curled marble shell scooting alongside

The dancing arc of the swan’s neck, the curved face guiding the street

Open-eyed scribbles, dusty lashes, brushed brow

Glowing pools of sand-speckled golden wash

Grassy hill flecked with floating moon

A splinter memento still dwelling in my fingertip

Untitled - Kelsey Rolofson