apparition

[tom.d.stiller]

apparition

clad in black
she stood before me facing
north-east by north
with her knees slightly bent
above her shoes heeled medium high

i couldn't see of her but black and blond
her tousled hair that hid
the profile from my northern looks
her back bent back
beneath her headpiece tilted left

against the wind
and bleakly rising light
i saw the beauty of her frame and figure
trigger memories of long
ago shapes clad

in similar black
navy cut clothing
ready-made for first mates
on love's sinking ships
and captains of juvenile hearts

taught to break
by the ever-tearing waves
dressed by the piercing wind
against the wounded shore
that stood before me clad in black

tds 2001