Home Building

We fell,

Tumbling and sliding,

Wreaking havoc

As emotions formed

And quickly disbursed-

Our eyes shot flames

And our hands were cold,

But our hearts colder,

In the beginning days

When we searched

For our settlement,

We warred over territory

That you thought was yours

And I knew as mine.

We were fickle beings,

Changing with the tides

And the colors of the leaves,

Thirsting for rain

And cursing the floods,

Reaching for snowflakes

But hating frostbite.

We were terrified of the heat

And staggered from flames,

Even as our eyes adjusted to brightness

And we learned to see,

Caution was our key,

And kept most doors locked,

But the view from the window,

How sweet.

Our rages have calmed,

Our storm waves

Turned to small swells

That lap against shores

And kiss the feet of

Lost passerby,

We have stories to tell

And our reflections are scattered

Altered by the light of the moon

And the shape of the trees-

We have opened doors,

And nailed shut windows,

We have melted snow

We have put out fires,

We have burned the edges of our fields,

And signed our names on dotted lines,

We have turned “I” into a plural

And swallowed words

That could cut a hole

In a solid blanket,

We have learned

And await the years to come.

Katrina Thornley is a nature poet and novelist that resides in Rhode Island. She has two poetry collections currently published, a novel, as well as a short story anthology. Her poetry collections "Arcadians: Lullaby in Nature" and "Arcadians: Wooden Mystics" were inspired by a local park and life in her small rural town. You can find them on Amazon now!