…of your outstretched hand

There is a place I dream of, a shore kissed by restless waves
where the horizon burns with the promise of somewhere else
I yearn to be there my feet upon the sand
chasing that thin line where sky meets sea
but the horizon pulls me forward, never closer
I was born with wings that cannot lift me
they twitch with desire, straining against gravity
yearning for skies I have never touched
the world below whispers ‘stay grounded, be still’
but the pull of the heavens burns in my veins
a fire I cannot extinguish even as I remain earthbound
what is it that I want?
not the touch of a hand, not the warmth of the sun
I yearn for what was lost before I even knew that it existed
for the stars that once spoke my name
but the sky is silent now and I am left searching
I feel you, a weight upon my heart, an invisible string
pulling me towards something that I cannot reach
you are the voice drifting in the wind when I close my eyes
and although I cannot hold you I am still bound by this yearning
my only tether in the empty space between us
there is a longing that stretches like a fast flowing river
its currents too swift to cross, I yearn to bridge it
to leap far away from this desolate shore
to the one where I know you stand
but the waters rise and I am left stranded
still searching, still yearning
and still dreaming of your outstretched hand
© Ann Bagnall