My essence is down to
the glass keys.
A tender letter I type
before the snap
renders me lifeless.

Dearest,
meet me by the river
when the water is still.

We can wish—
not only on the stars
if we linger ‘til dusk,
but on the creatures
disguised as ancient deities
who greet us as we read
below the ancient oak
who slumbers.

Watch the koi with delicate fins
fleeting above the pebbles,
tails flicking through the silent waters.

Or the Willows who
swish under the canopy
on a twinkling night.

So don’t believe you can only
wish on the stars.

Wish on the koi and the willows
and watch as they grant you at least a moment of
reprieve from the cruel world.

Marvel as our souls transform
from dry bone  
to clothed
in the wonder of sunlight
and if we’re lucky,
                               maybe some starlight too.

---

Shari Lee Wilder is a writer whose work has been published or forthcoming in Carmina Magazine, The New Territory, The Talon, The Orange Rose, and other literary journals. She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Belladonna’s Garden Literary Magazine. See more on her website www.sharileewilder.com