Forging a Kingdom

Waves thunder against the jagged cliffside, 

A whirlpool swirling at our feet, gyrating in

A vortex of seafoam and fury, threatening

To smother us in its vengeful depths 

Yet we stand untouched, hidden in the mist, 

Fingers interlaced, woven together by the 

Scarlet lifeblood spilling from our hearts. 

A silent, unspoken truth binds us, bridging 

The void of memories, of shared history 

Seen through wise and weary eyes, brimming 

With starlight, a universe harbored in our veins,

An untamed wilderness begging for release

From the iron cage we built to contain its 

Bestial brilliance, lest we be vanquished by it.  

The kingdom looming behind us stands as a 

Testament to the legacy we forged together

With the bruised and bloodied fingers of 

Warriors who have swum down the deepest

Wells of agony, yet still surfaced with breath 

In our aching lungs, feeding off each others’ 

Conviction, a flickering strength reignited. 

Our eyes remain locked, sapphire penetrating 

Umber, a silent thread of communication, 

Tethered at our core, shared secrets spanning

Millenniums, a whirlwind of time whipping our

Skin like the lashes we were once given, a 

Punishment for our power, viridescent with envy, 

Our beauty radiates, spanning universes unbound. 

Our lips collide, wildfire consuming each atom 

Of our essence, neurons pulsing and firing, the 

Blaze sweeping over our scarred bodies, cores

Turning molten as we melt and ebb into one

Another, lines blurred, an atomic fusion of two

Vessels stripped bare, utterly vulnerable to the 

Capricious sway of a feverish and eternal love. 

Clasped together, heart to heart, we slowly sink

To the stone precipice below, bones aching with

A suppressed longing, brittle and primordial, 

Our ancient spark flickering, a fire of hope to

The world, fading gently into the night, an era

Bygone, its history written by our hands, eyes 

Fluttering closed, at long last peace has found us.  

Audra Burwell