Tremulously, her rising unsteady,
Haloed in innocence, beauty her throne,
Edifice wrecked, a bridesmaid unwed, she,
Susses the shore yet swims unwell alone,
Elegantly, the deck beneath tilting,
Vaulting with limbs lifted high overhead,
Ebony waves, in spitefulness, jilting,
No lilting lament for the watery dead,
Troughs leading lower, through swelling crests rise,
Reefing a body at last upon land,
Unburied, met by a timely demise,
Trusting in miracles, struggling to stand,
Hope buoys swimmers, lifts gulls everywhere,
Strength fills the lungs with each swallow of air.


Penned by my hand on the 21st of Lupar, in the year 639 AF.