Byzantium

Misheard Lyrics of Byzantium (In The Nursery)
Or, What Annie Heard While It Was Playing In The Other Room


She was the warm Aquarius I always wanted in the dark and cavernous parts of my heart. Everything about her I recognized, but my eyes could not remember. Each soft color and curve was there, solid, instead of echoing in darkness.

Rising out of mist and tragedy, she confronted me at the waterfront with words that made all circumstances fall away.

I forgot my vigil when she took my hand. I forgot my loss when she led me away. I forgot my family when she entered the cave. I forgot myself when she took me inside.

The warm and wet and heat and tears were more than could be contained, and all the strength and wisdom between us could not stop the water from flowing back to the ocean. We were carried away. She was still holding my hand.

After that, I remembered, but my memories were as cold as the currents wrapped around me.

My body joined the wreckage, on the shore, and in the graves. When my name was remembered, nobody spoke of the fishers or the waiting. They only spoke of the storm.