there was a way
an ethereal sway
to the hidden currents
making her hair
dance
as i stared
in horror
at her broken form
just beneath
the placid surface

she appeared
as if
under glass
poorly formed
by an arthritic
glass blower
at the end
of another long day
with sore hips and back

i couldn’t shake
the image
of gnarled hands
slowly spinning
the glob
of nearly liquid glass
even as a koi
swam in
to nibble
upon her ear

when faced
with the faceless face
of the dearly departed
in strike contrast
to the peaceful pond
unbeholden
to logic
or rational thought
the mind wanders

the orange white and black
of the curious koi
in the mass
of seaweed like hair
as the wind
whistled through
the gaps
in the fence
behind us

there is something
to be said
for a rigid
crystalline structure
that allows
for instant
shattering
when peering down
the barrel
of existential dread

the slow tearing
of optic neurosis
as the last image
is distorted
by the heat
of the fire
to allow
small imperfections
to cloud
an otherwise perfect view

i cannot remove
the layered image
of glass blowing
from the lifeless glare
that shears
through the ignominy
of the day
effortlessly
as terror cramps
my lips into a smile

yet there was a way
an ethereal sway
to the hidden currents
making her hair
dance
as i stared
in horror
at her broken form
just beneath
the placid surface