Poetry + Prose by Hayden Winston
ventured into untamed wilderness,
wandered the land our indigenous cousins once freely roamed.
crossed rivers and meandered through mountains, lost until it felt like home.
called your name aloud, but the trees didn’t know you,
wrote a little song, but the birds refused to sing.
naïve versions of you and me danced through the dark woods,
and then I watched as the rivers took us whole and washed us out to sea.
bare bones in the sunlight,
fear was our chariot,
now we’re dripping in hope.
break it down brick by brick,
tears of joy streaming down your face like fresh squeezed juice in the summertime.
bury me 10 feet deep, so I can finally get a good night’s rest when it all ends.
the crowd can carry on and play numb,
but there’s no respite when the morning comes
and morning’s come.
Tea cooling next to love letters on the window sill,
dreams real yet surreal, almost tangible.
Sea and mountains in your lungs,
memories, monuments to beloved moments past.
Lessons sewn into your very marrow,
tangled up with the movements of your unconscious mind.
Breathing in every millisecond,
each precious opportunity for growth and death.
Growth and death, an endless cycle,
swirling in your teacup, like leaves
in the autumn breeze.
Feet on the ground now so I don’t miss a step (except for when I’m falling all over my lover).
Practicing patience, keeping the inner-self still.
Present passing by, future slowly more clear. A rush and a push, we’ve come all the way here.
Take a second, take a minute, enjoy and u n w i n d.
Bury me, underneath sparkling blue skies
Snowcapped mountains in the distance,
An expanse of sand and ever-blue sky,
Wind rustles in through the open windows,
Reverberates like a high fidelity whisper.
When all else is dim and hope seems far gone,
Let’s hold this moment dear,
Alone together, riding in the open air.
sealed in ink 