Cauldron Anthology Issue 3: Year 1 Collection Cauldron Anthology Year One Issue FINAL 1.17.18 | Page 14

Lament I
L.C. Woodbury
i. when you kiss her,
you are kissing lips
that sing grief
to the sea
like a child
echoing back
a mother’s lullaby.
this is not a kiss
for those
who do not know
what it means
to lose.
ii. when her sisters
rise up
from beneath the waves
to sing your name
and beckon you
with shimmering bony fingers,
there is always
the chance
she will not come
to save you
from those snapping
shark-like
jaws.
iii. when you see her weep
for the first time,
you will remember
why they whispered
to stay away
from sirens.
you will understand
why love
is an instrument
of war.