Vicissitude Poem by Bryony Sheldon

These membranous wings of fate
Fly me through this torrential downpour
I'm upshifting at half-past eight
I have nothing to slow down for.
I have a lady of electric love
Her beauty is illogical-
She's as perfect as Ligeia;
A princess of all that's celestial

Tomorrow I'll propose.
Bright lights, doves, ticker tape, the lot-
I've pulled all the stops.

She knows I've been hiding something,
Lately I've been distant,
But in the morning I'll be back home-
And it'll've been worth the distance
To offer her the opalescent halo
To glide onto, entwine about, nest upon
Her precious flesh. Though we're far apart,
She knows I always think of her when I'm gone.

I'm giddy like a little boy.
I just pray that she screams yes-
Lord knows I've tried my best.

The haze of dawn upon me
With its mystifying hue,
I'm kissed with melting colours
Of the red before the blue.
I know I'm home when I see her
Star-strapped and graceful
With ivory skin and blowing hair-
?
Why did she look so hateful?

Perhaps it was aquaplaning.
Or maybe my nerves-
Who could predict the sudden swerves?

Trapped in my twisted metal fate.
Cu, Mg, Fe, Cr, K
Agony smashes through my system
But I don't know what's going on.
In the smoking wreck,
I whimper, I cry, I scream,
I'm skewered with confusion.
And the handbrake.