i.
and in a dream
(but perhaps,
not a dream)
you take me tenderly by the hand...
And you gently lead me
(without leading)
into the entrance
of the spiralling shell
of the nautilus...
Down...
down...
down...
we slowly descend
in an ever-decreasing circle,
working our way ever-inward.
The outside world is still visible
but at the same time,
as if by magic,
it has
been left far behind.
Step by careful, deliberate step,
we giggle, filled with
child-like
wonder & abandon...
We continue further inward
until at long last
(minutes, or perhaps
centuries later)
we find ourselves at the centre:
The Heart of the Nautilus!!
There, before us
in the dimming light
lies a large pearl-like rock.
I remove my overcoat,
throw it over
the rock's hard surface...
And we carefully help
each other
climb up on top.
We hold each other for balance.
From my bag
I produce fresh strawberries.
Like naughty children
raiding orchards,
we feast
on our late night dessert.
The redness of the berries
stains our fingertips,
their strong perfume
makes our noses tingle.
Outside, the world continues around us,
possibly hasn't even noticed our absence.
But deep down
inside the depths of the nautilus,
in our own world, anew
we are alone,
together.
Alive,
filled with reverence.
no longer afraid.
You feed me a strawberry.
I bite into its soft flesh.
My mouth is filled with joy.
I carefully feed you one back.
My ears are filled with the
sounds of our breathing.
I clumsily lean into you,
against you,
so as not to topple
from the stone pearl
we are perched upon.
I touch your soft blonde hair,
I press my nose into
its soft tangles.
It smells of honey & vanilla.
I breathe in deeply,
all of my senses in rapture.
Somewhere,
off in the distance
(perhaps from another world),
we can hear a Latin band playing...
In our dream (but perhaps, not a dream)
this all feels so perfect,
so familiar, yet not. But so right.
I am not afraid.
I rest my hand
upon your hand.
I try to kiss you,
but our glasses
get in the way.
If I were to remove them
(yours or mine),
there is nowhere
to safely store them...
Instead,
I push my head gently
into your hair again,
and this time I press
my strawberry-stained lips
upon your
soft, white neck.
You taste faintly of salt.
It tingles on my
strawberry-stained tongue...
Perfection.
And for the second time tonight,
my mouth is filled with joy.
And your sighs /
they give this blind man
back his eyes.
Braver now
(but strangely, I have been so brave
since the moment we met):
I carefully navigate around your eyewear.
My lips find your lips.
We kiss, gently.
One of my hands is on your neck,
and the other
is tangled in your hair.
All of my worldly cares drop away.
I sigh now, too.
I am giddy. Lightheaded.
You hold me,
stop me from toppling
but I still feel like I have fallen.
I kiss your neck again.
And you, mine.
You sigh, and giggle.
I catch a glimmer
of your nose ring. I touch it,
and you smile,
& we kiss some more.
You sing to me, then
and I shed my skin.
You sing to me, then
and I sense
my life will never
quite be the same ever again.
ii.
Nearly a week has passed.
But I wanted you to know
that (since that song)...
I am still down there.
Deep down
in the Heart of the Nautilus.
Where, perhaps
I even shared
your sacred, perfect
Cancerian shell.
You sang to me.
You sang to me.
You sang to me,
and my heart:
(for the first time
in such a long time)
...perhaps the first time?
it opened, like a flower.
iii.
Faraway, or close /
I still feel her waves
against my coast.
I am lost, yet found
somewhere underground...
deep in the
Heart of the Nautilus.
(c) Brent M Harpur, 2013.
"Let me in, unlock the door. I've never felt this way before." (Chris Martin)
"I'm watching the water, watching the coast, suddenly I know what I want the most. And I want to tell you, still I hold back, I need some time to get my life on track. I know that look on your face, but there's something lucky about this place. And there's something good coming for you & me, something good coming, there has to be." (Tom Petty)
