Aftermath

Five horizons happen only at that time
when perceptions split.
Eyes flicker fast across the plain of caring
Rise to mountains where ecstasy and struggle live
Shift to where the hill slopes to the sea
In the endless ocean of tossing turning waves.

Listen to the pebble crackle, the splosh of water’s weight
Heartbeat throbs in a nerve behind the ear
thuds echo those elemental rhythms,
dying now, horizon turns inwards, each breath labours
to recover the dream. For just a moment
imagination leapt beyond the bounds of literal truth.

There is only one horizon
Like the rainbow’s pot of gold
forever beyond the reach of longing.

Written in response to a prompt from Pearl Jam “Black” – first stanza