penelope

Penelope must have grown bitter
the weariness was at first
about the size of an apple seed
and she could easily swallow it;
she was hiding it well.
later it must have grown to
be like an almond seed
and people started to notice
her fragrance was changing
and her steps were getting slower
as if her trunk was dreaming
 of growing roots into the sand.
as many falls passed over her shoulders
she would keep a bit of their wind
in her heart, in her graying soul.
with the memory of a leaf falling
the sugar red turning brown, bitter
but the sea had the power
to wash it all, to draw it all
to swallow it whole
when she walked by the sea.
some still remember
Penelope pacing slowly
and lonely close to the shore
before she turned
her pain into a willow,
shaking her hair
into salty air