LatinosUSA

The Saddest Lines After Pablo Neruda and Johannes Pietsch By: Alexis Araneta

I’m done writing the saddest lines
Yet the onyx silk sky still stretches
Over two lands groaning in the dusk
And the sapphire stud constellations
Still shiver from lightyears away

I’m done writing the saddest lines
My tongue’s vanilla clouds have dissipated
And the meadows await renewal to sprout
Yet your smile still drips into my memory
Like spring rain on craving, parched soil
The fissures blooming on my earthly skin

I’m done writing the saddest lines
My feet have deftly relearnt to pirouette
On these pristine powder sands of ivory
Yet the turquoise oceans of my heart still crash
Even if you dashed far away to the shores
And I’m yet again drowning in the undertow

But even in this shattered ceramic night
The honeyed moonlight shines, reveals
How frightened you were of the waters
How I can rise from the deep end

Another’s, you will be another’s
Your lacustrine gaze shall plunge into another’s
Your siren calls shall serenade another
As I sail further and further to belonging
I’m done writing the saddest lines
This shall be the ultimate verse woven for you
One last stanza as I paddle across the tsunami
For even as salt still stings every cut and bruise
I’ve started the long forgetting of one I no longer love

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Author’s Bio

Alexis Araneta is an aspiring short story writer and poet from Tagaytay City. Enchanted by the taste and feel of words since she could speak, she began writing at the age of nine. Her flash fiction has been featured in anthologies such as Tagay by San Anselmo Press and Marbles by Blue Marble Storytellers. Encouraged by a friend to experiment with verse, she has also been exploring the world of poetry.When she’s not crafting advertising copy, tormenting protagonists with unrequited love, or deftly inserting the word “deftly” into every stanza, Alexis enjoys reading classic literature, listening to jazz and soul music, and studying European languages.Follow her (and prepare for a generous dose of selfies) on Instagram and Threads: @cestmoiallie