APRILIA ZANK

APRILIA ZANK

FIND THE BIRD

this is a forlorn place

where once youngsters came

to gallivant, dance and love

when life seemed perpetual

and the wanderers, dancers and lovers

treasured it in their immortal minds

as they knew they would never forfeit

and they didn't

floating above the waves

as feathers, breeze, echoes –

and once in a while

a bird would fall to the ground

heavy with the sorrow of the world

and so tiny that you could hardly see it

lying there

on the barren rocks

in its delusive nest of feathers

withering under the callous sun

void of lustre and echo

RAPSODIE ESPAGNOLE

out of the concert hall

in the dark

in the empty street

wondering

where all the passers-by

had vanished

I saw those fires

at an uncertain distance

those silhouettes

dancing,

or fighting,

or loving

and I was there

among the embers

and smoke

my veils caught fire

burnt layer by layer

my skin sparkled

with scattered pearls

ghosts all around

I sensed their eyes

pierce the darkness

their breath

build bridges to my lips

while the old gypsy

grinned

shuffled the cards

to tell me a fortune

which I was unwilling

to hear

TWILIGHT

walking around the lake

brooding over yellow lilies

a sense of solitude

drips on algae-coated

obsolete nymphs

behind wire fences

the sun fades away

trickles down

light dissipates

like burning silk

I call a name –

in a void of answers

birds flutter away

hurry

to precarious shelters

APRILIA ZANK