They still run, panting

Inspired by Dylan Thomas's "And death shall have no dominion", a poem about leaving childhood with my brother

 

Though lovers be lost, love shall not

The nightly deliverance only lasts so long

We ran to the water as children

And left the broken dunes years later

With an unshakable dampness in our bones

 

Though lovers be lost, love shall not

The wooden swords and early morning stocking raids only last so long 

We ran down the stairs Christmas morning

Eyes shrouded in sleep, bracing against the light

And returned years later stumbling 

Searching for a way up 

 

Though lovers be lost, love shall not

Testing the strength of our adolescent bodies against that of Superior’s waves only lasts so long

We escaped to the shore, panting between laughs

And returned, alone, years later, hoping the waves would beg for our company again 

 

Though lovers be lost, love shall not

So long ago we ran in the woods, imagining creatures chasing us

Our minds overpowering us only lasts 

They still run, panting

I want to return, but cannot