…before the fall

Day after day, I have many roles to play, I am the child
that has lost its way home, the mother, who waits with empty arms
the constant weight of expectations
in my exhaustion, in my dreams, sleep becomes a shoreless ocean
where I can lose myself for a brief moment in time
where here on these warm sands, I find myself alone once more
yet running towards the edge, I sense the time before the fall
wind circles every inch of me as I lie prostrate upon the sand
the ebb and flow of the tides, mirror my beating heart
the sea is vast and unyielding in its infinite blue expanse
and I feel insignificant, just an extra in this private dance
the sun is setting on the horizon, painting the sky with soft colours
as gentle waves flow over me, their soft caress calming my heart
here in this peaceful place, for a few brief moments
I can be the me I want to be and find peace in being free
then heart pounding , in the blue wind I am melting
vanishing into the dark , seemingly endless in its depths
in that moment, I almost always forget
that I can never find my way back
© Ann Bagnall