Until Lilies Overpower

When we made our pact,
lilies bloomed from my hands.
I laid them on the graves
of dead lovers.

You were to come in the spring,
wade with me in the seas
where Vikings once sailed,
kiss my breasts until the sun glinted
pink off the morning waters, but

I grow old waiting, love.
My legs are pillars of salt.
The lilies have dried up
and long blown away.
The sea snarls under my toes.

Only in my dreams
do I see you, bearing gifts
of pale luminous gowns
and bright bangles to spoil me.

You lay your body across
mine until an early tide moans,
and I wake suddenly, the scent
of lilies overpowering.


Pris Campbell
©2004

Placed third in the 2004 PBL competitions