Aether
Fiona Kennedy


My heart was at my throat with every step
As coast to coast I wandered in a fog
And when the dust had settled on my ending,
I turned again to nature’s epilogue.
At first I joined the tidal timers’ dancing,
Which wears upon the cliffside, deep and slow.
I felt a kinship with the fire-keepers,
Who breathe on deadened ash to make it glow.
Then finally, I turned my efforts inland,
I sought the secret deep beneath the pines,
Their roots assuring me that I could bear it,
The wind awash with lavender and thyme—

And in the quiet, laid myself to sleep.
When I awoke, my breath was sure and deep.