Unrequiting Currents: Desolate Lives

Magnetic wand of the moon,
a creamy Harvest moon,
brushed the deep swells
generating a tide
steady current, frothy foam.
With speed, purpose rowed
toward the rendezvous,
destiny's cove.
As it approached the shore
plucked a fortuitous shell
guided it through
the undulating swells
on an enchanting mission
sweet song of the Sirens
filtered into the turret
of the listless gastrapod
ziplined through the breakers
breached the shoreline
nestled in heart-shape valve
wrapped itself in silk--
once remnant, virgin grains
that spilled pure coats
opened their apertures
imbibing tide after tide

Your calling card was
sheltered in the aperture
of a beached gastropod.
From a distant buoy
the bright glint flickered
a pale reflection
that never quite sparked
desire in my eyes.
Imploring pleas echoed
from a hollow soul.
Through the salty mist,
light blips from my sonar
never reverberated
through your hourglass
straining the opportunities,
until time's window closed

After many full moons
were solemnly eclipsed
by my dark shadow
and the salty tears
washed away,
the unanswered prayers
from my callous heart
drifted to shore,
a now hidden enclave.
I stumbled on the broken shell,
whose periostracum,
her cover page,
now un-decodable,
absent bristling spine,
a solid backbone that once
advertised her love,
now whittled to lumps,
an aperture completely sealed
packed with the sediments
unrequited nights had delivered

My weathered hands
picked up the callous receptacle
my probing cuticles sifted
through the silts,
the years of longing,
dredged through the sand
that was tightly packed
peeled away stale grains
from her Hope chest,
discovering bleached memories.
At the core remained
a desiccate body
with no pulse;
an empty soul
baring no spirit.
With a deep regret
I stitched a shroud
whose circumference
was large enough
to contain two mirrors
reflecting twin fates

aperture: opening, mouth of a shell
periostracum: thin organic coating or skin which is the outmost layer of the shell of many animals.