helios

the first thing i see is the tippy tippy top of a mountain, one conjured from film reels and stock photo images, as i've never stood atop one like the one i see now.

next thing i see is a figure perched on the mountain top. a girl. young woman. me, maybe. there's no way to tell how she - how i - got there. no footpath, no bridge. just the earth.

i see the back of other me, silhouetted against a setting sun that still manages to blaze, burn. the cliff edge the other me balances on looks down into an emptiness, but out into similar peaks dressed in titanic pines.

to my right and left i see thinning trees and a small, tapering clearing where the other me stands. a slight breeze tangles other me's hair and performs a perfect waltz with her skirt. other me is barefoot and carefree.

other me spreads her arms wide and looks up to the sun, letting warm orange light wash over her face as her fists clench and unclench and her toes wiggle against naked brown earth. she bares everything to her makeshift helios, welcomes his light and wisdom in exchange for her soul. she asks him to reach inside her, to spill her, to tear from her all that lays buried beneath her carefully crafted layers. with eyes closed she offers herself wholly to him.

on careful and tiny footsteps i come toward other me, one hand reaching toward her while my body shyly follows. she looks angelic in her reverie and i won't break it, but i need to know. in body she stands before me, but in mind, where has she gone? i want to know and i want to follow her there.

i finally reach other me and as i square myself before her, i notice the tears streaming from her closed eyes. they streak her pale cheeks before settling on her pink lips she's stretched into a generous smile, and i need to know now more than ever where other me has gone. her outstretched arms meet me and pull me into her as we fuse together.

unified with other me i can now see what she sees, know why she smiles as she cries. her eyes flutter open and bore into the sun, as if discovering this sense for the first time. from here on this altar, she sees no pain. no lost love. no hunger, no sadness, no heartbreak. no rejection, no fear, no inadequacy. no lonliness, no emptiness, no bitterness. no despair, no regret, no hurt. she sees no lovers walking out, no fighters taking over control. she doesn't see the things that forced her to this sanctuary.

for once, she sees the sun. the darkening sky as it turns another day into night. other me sees brilliant mountain tops created without the touch of man. she sees one star, then another, and another, and their promise that she will soon see the moon. other me sees vast beauty. she sees love. she sees gratitude.

she sees life.


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i'm not quite sure what you'd call this piece, but i kinda like it. please let me know what you thought - and be honest! i value all your comments & feedback and want to know i'm giving you guys quality. so anyway, this post came from this week's indie ink writing challenge, based on the prompt i received from the super-talented alisha: describe what fills your mind when you read the words "aerial view". it's probably not what you expected, alisha, but i hope i did you proud! meanwhile, my prompt was tackled by the too-awesome-for-words kayla. be sure to check my gals out and if you want to join in the fun at indie ink, check out the challenge here!