111 days
2,664 hours
159,840 minutes
9,590,400 seconds
Ticking a journey of love-lust.
Shy hello.
Turning quickly into comfort.
Drunk on animal magnetism.
Reveling in skin.
Sharing ideas
In a river of philosophy.
Explore sea
And sand
And sound.
Be at peace.
Backpedal, apologize, reach out.
Until comforting arms
Enclose and envelop.
Or release.
Tic tock lie
Pretend to be someone else.
Don her mask
To smooth the sheets
And keep them cool.
Knowing that each moment lacking truth
Wears at the turning gears.
Until they stop
Leaving only the memory
Of a beautiful face
And 9,590,400 seconds
Etched in the glass.
Laurie Woodward is the author of The Pharaoh’s Cry, Kidnapped Smile, and Dragon Sky from the fantasy series The Artania Chronicles, as well as the middle-grade Forest Secrets. She co-wrote Dean and JoJo: The Dolphin Legacy and was a collaborator on the popular anti-bullying DVD Resolutions. Bullied as a child, Laurie is now an award-winning peace consultant, poet, and blogger who helps teach children how to avoid arguments, stop bullying, and maintain healthy friendships. She writes on the Central Coast of California. More about her work can be found at artania.net
