…in a dream

Your heart still echoes in the moonless dark of my soul
in that quiet, hidden place, where fragments of us remain
barely visible in the aching void, shadows from the distant past
that I can feel, more than see, for this was how we loved
always one bridge still to cross and always oceans apart
our time together, on reflection, so often felt like nothing
but images and illusions, recalled like old wounds
opening over and over again when touched by memories
the endless ache in my heart has deepened with time
and I find myself stationary, forever lost in a dream
of what we almost were and your heart echoes still
softly, almost imperceptibly, in the moonless dark of my soul
it moves gently through me like a wandering lost star
relentlessly searching for a sky that no longer exists
there is a hidden chamber here, a place untouched by daylight
where fragments of us are slowly floating like dust
I only see mere glimpses, the outline of your absence
softly flickering at the edges of the aching void
that time has carved, deeper than I ever expected
for this too, was how we loved, with constellations between us
and one bridge always out of reach
we were always oceans apart, yet somehow always entwined
two tides, both pulled back and forth, by the same indifferent moon
our moments together, when I hold them to the light
just shatter into illusions, slowly fading into the shadows
until only silhouettes remain
I recall them, the way one recalls the ache of old wounds
the strange comfort of a familiar pain
and still the ache persists, an endless, slow burning
forever haunting me in the depths of the night
something unfinished, allowing my memories
to restlessly wander uninvited, in my dreams where I search for you
for the version of us that never found its way into our waking life
the paths twist, the rooms shift and every turn
leads back to the same uncomfortable truth
that I still remain constant after all these empty years
forever lost in a dream of what we almost were
still caught in the echoes of your distant heartbeat
that once knew mine, as well as I know yours
© Ann Bagnall