The requirements

A berry branch draped with must
 or 
an hour among a grove of Sweet Williams

A touch on the arm
 or 
a glimpse of a neckline half clothed in shadow

The balm of a forest stream
a cessation of hostilities on the hill between the villages

A song of praise
a release from shame

 
                                       

    ________________         ________________
                                       

 

An affirmation of intent
 or 
an investigation into stonewalled past

Brocaded hands raising you from the ground
 or 
a silken touch where you lie

A talisman against stuttered maledictions
a stiletto for an imminent reckoning

A corroded parchment with the answers

a cloak embossed with ancestral incantations

A quiet pallet for the night
a morning to wake to

 
                                       

           ____________          ____________
                                       

Andy Oram
November 9, 2019

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