…has only just begun

Castaway stars are swimming
in the low stream of darkness
a distant throbbing resonates
across the still surface of the ocean
where waves begin to form
tentative and un-shapen
their fledgling efforts yet unable
to lift the weight of the shadowed waters
here on this isolated shore
amidst the songs of the winter night
soft veils of moonlight
fall upon the already pale trees
leafless and trembling
their silhouettes now occupy the sky
empty and reaching
for a truth they are seeking
perhaps the answer
to their most pressing question
in this season of sighs
there will be no timely reply
for the desolation has only just begun
as they stand upon the edge
in between the sky and the sea
it falls to them to oversee
the final demise of the leaves
and the sorrowful flight of the last petals
before winter reclaims its domain
the peace and the harmony of death
will not be gifted to them
their emptiness will soon be complete
their arms heavy with the weight of loss
and the cold blankets of snow
will transform the terrain
painting them anew
until their pain begins once again
© Ann Bagnall