Cliff Edge Sestina

not afraid (by shoothead)

A stretch of sky.
My thoughts drop into shadow.
I can no longer beat my wings,
Standing at the edge of this cliff,
Far below, a sea,
Into which I am about to fall.

I feel the fear of the fall,
Grope around for a hold on the sky.
Can I stop myself dropping into the sea?
No, I am sucked under by shadow.
Losing my foothold on the cliff,
Alone and weak in the wings.

The ache in my wings
Makes the fall
inevitable. The cliff
cuts the sky,
casts a shadow
on the depths of the sea.

Am I already in the sea,
With the waves flapping my wings?
Here there is no fear of shadow:
I have nowhere to fall,
Enveloped by the sky,
But a memory of the cliff.

Hanging on to the cliff
edge; I have tasted the safety of the sea.
Squinting into the sky,
Found strength in my wings
to brave the fall
and slip from the grip of shadow.

I come to you with my shadow
in my hands, from the tip of the cliff.
Share my tale of the fall,
my release in the sea.
You take me in your wings
as we gaze at the sky.

The shadow always dances on the cliff
Tempting me to fall through the sky
But in the sea, I spread my wings.

2 thoughts on “Cliff Edge Sestina

Leave a comment