Lapis Lazuli

The flecked blue stone I threw into the snow

Pulled off my finger one forsaken night

Snowflakes circled pristine and sugar white

The frozen lake so many miles below

And traffic lights so many miles behind.

I sped through them regardless of their hue

Even the light of moon when it withdrew

Like a sealed promise that had not been signed

When laughter bubbled more like a champagne

But there were crows that circled overhead

My only hope found in the water dead

By some monster that mankind can’t restrain

When emptiness spoke louder than before.

My heart exhaled a strange and bitter air

That she be slaughtered and left to lie there

In plastic bags unloaded on the shore.