Always

Ozymandelvis – Jack Hollingshead

Olivia Rivera

Always

When light spills from tiny cavities,

shredding the dark blanket of night above,

When I lie, secure, tucked away,

My grasp on what’s real long since disappeared,

Handed over to the entanglements of my mind,

When I begin to live that life,

One far away from the breaths of this world,

All else is forgotten,

A distant memory.

Eyes,

Not mine,

Look down at hands I don’t know,

Absorb my surroundings,

Blink and blink and blink,

Trying to rid of the fog,

That builds a wall between me and this strange, familiar sight.

Blurred colors embrace,

Then twist with remembrance, 

A forged identity,

I am in between the thin stitchings of time and space,

The fabric of my existence, 

My past and future,

Every bit of hurt and laughter and every question,

Confusion and love and regret,

Dancing, tears, and flowers, 

Then you.

Right there.

The lenses sharpen your figure,

Defining your features,

 I never payed so much attention to them,

Never seeing a reason why I should.

The haze of others rushing by,

People you love,

People you never knew, 

It makes me dizzy.

Your eyes,

Ones that you must know well

Scan over all, 

As the wrinkles in the ridges of your forehead,

I have them too,

But I never knew they could reach such great height,

Push and push,

As if trying to peel back your skin,

Weathered by travels,

To reveal your content expression. 

You’re always smiling,

Always still. 

I sprint forward,

Stumble over my feet,

Ones that haven’t touched nearly as much earth

As yours have.

I cry out,

Break through, 

Trying to reach you. 

Looking around me,

I search for others,

To see if they too,

See you beaming.

The sun’s rays feast on your gentle gaze,

And even the air surrounding you knows of your love,

Your never ending,

Forever and always

Kind of love. 

Speechless, I am attentive, frozen still,

Wanting to record every moment.

I hear your words,

But they don’t always stay with me,

As if you’re snatching them back,

Right before I lock them away,

So the answers to the mysteries of life will remain woven into the clouds.

We talk until you fade away,

The stars in your eyes

Burn through the flesh of my heart,

Each vein and artery,

Left undone.

And long after the sky sheds its skin of sleep,

I always remember.

I remember your voice,

What I fear of forgetting the most,

The fleeting moments of comfort,

Your ceaseless laughter,

The safety of your arms.

And I know,

That I am going to be alright,

You are always here.

Always.