The Striped Fortress

A pair of old eyes

Gaze out to sea

A bearded Rapunzel

Who longs to be free

But all that he loves

Is now lost to the deep

He has

No place

On the land

His heart’s cut in half,

One half’s in the water

The sea he once loved

Has now stolen

His daughter

He’s seen the sea’s wrath

But he fears brick and mortar

His home is amongst

Sea and sand

Wrenched from the deck

By the water’s cold grasp

Into an ocean

Of rage

And of regret

She held on for her life

But still it was taken

As she slipped

From her father’s

Embrace

Now

He just sits

Day and night

Year on year

The memory fades

The pain lingers on

He watches the murderous tide

From his tower

He waits

For the day

He will join her

Memories crash

Like waves against his wits

His striped fortress

Solid against wind

Against rain

Cannot protect him from himself

His mind is buried

Under saltwater

Now he hardly can bear

The sight of the surf

But he cannot return

To his old solid turf

His home is here, now,

On the edge of the earth

He has

No place

On the land