winter hearts

‘the father saved the mountain yonder,

i don’t suppose he was the one of yours,’

she said smiling before she froze

and turned an oily shade of rainbow

opalescent in her age of old

below they craved the market haunt

but through skins twilight kissed i called

down unto a sounding stained wood

thrust out instead of shore

this pain king rides swimming horse

dragging out to the dust of rain

in shattered wrists and waves’ refrain

underground calling all winter hearts

to strike in the below again