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Renounced
I. Springtime
It was nothing but a moment. A second of curiosity, when your shoulder brushed past mine. A simple gesture to catch my elusive hand. A trick of the light had led my eyes to yours, as it was not by my own will. Springtime watched over her pairs carefully, but I knew of her desires. She watched with a careful eye as we danced through the hallways until dawn.
II. Summer
I remember the color of your skin in the summer — when the sun would smile and the wind would blow through the leaves on the evergreens in response. I remember sneaking around the thorns to pick the tart violet berries that stung our tongues. I remember the cobblestone streets that burned the soft souls of our feet as we ran from our homes to the brush, hand in hand. I remember the pond filled with moss, back when we would watch the sun fall behind the hushed horizon. Even the koi knew I was enchanted.
III. Autumn
You didn’t tell me you had left. The days became shorter, and the cold began to slip underneath the creaks of our doors, flooding the home with an empty chill that wrapped around my arms like a silk shawl. I waited for you, but you never returned. I should have known, after all, we had fallen in love in the warm season, and Autumn was known to be jealous and cruel. She kept you there and let me go.
IV. Winter
The frigid air stung my cheeks like small paper cuts on young fingers. I lifted my hand and brushed away the winter flush. The ocean mocked me as its waves slid in and out, forever meeting the shore with an alluring stream of colors and foam that barely reached my toes. I, however, stood with my hands bundled together subconsciously reaching for something to ground me to the sand that pushed back at my heels. The color of the grains reminded me of the angels’ hair. Their songs were known to wrinkle the waves as they washed ashore, their pitches shifting the colors of the water. I listened to them sometimes, but I had to be alone, for if I was not, they would hide behind the curves of their clouds. Part of me wished I could join them for the promise of an eternal song.
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I wrote this piece after I finished the book The Song of Achilles. I was inspired by Madeline Miller's beautiful crafting of the love between Achilles and Patroclus and I decided to take inspiration from her writing style. With this piece, I decided to not include the genders of the characters so that the story between these star-crossed lovers could be attributed to a multitude of narratives.