Wordsworth Magazine Autumn 2021

us, one with us Almost as if they had a rhythm, almost as if they were conducting us We were it’s unwavering symphony, the instruments playing our parts That is until we broke that rhythm You broke that rhythm Remember when we stayed in the cabin in the summertime?

When you began to talk less and less, retreating to the inners of your mind The lake became a haven for your thoughts Sucking them dry from your conscience, leaving almost nothing for you to say to me The clear sky now clouded, the stars ceasing to shine like they used to, fading with time While the trees no longer had their rhythm, twisting…mangling into claustrophobia What inside that mind of yours changed?

Remember when we stayed in the cabin in the summertime?

When you stopped playing with our children When you stopped being affectionate When you became lost all together Believe me, I tried my best to fix you But every time I tried, you retreated to the lake’s edge Dangling your bare feet, swaying hypnotically Only those troubled waters knew your feelings Not your own children Not even your own wife Remember when we stayed in the cabin in the summertime?

When the sky finally opened up, the clouds giving way to the beating sun once more 161