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Land of the Living
My eyes stretch wide, echoing the sight before me
I dip and bob in soft waves, vivified by the sunset
A kayak strong, a guide in this sacred journey
My oar a spirit staff, to tame the tranquil deep
The bleeding sun, how calm it dies tonight
She stains the sky with painted flame, a funeral pyre
For now, I glide the water glass, a burning melting mirror
I take a breath, I feel alive as though just born
The fire stirs my soul, the night engulfs my heart
And now with eyes ahead, I fade to trance
My head is calm, my oar slips mechanically through the ripples
Nothing matters now, I see only the mind stealing serenity before me
The sunset is a portal, a rift in the realm of the living
Who knows where it leads, but it's pulling me in
As if a in a dream, I sink ever deeper in the red and orange
I look down and see the water moving, thousands of tiny ripples
They flit and glow like fireflies, moving me towards the sunset
I recall some words, spoken by some distant relation
"The water is full of spirits, craving to live again
That's why they take the living, to quench the thirst of what shall never be again"
And now I feel them in the ripples, pulling me with them to the beyond
Yes, the gates of Tartarus, I see them open now
The sunset glares, a flaming eye glaring into my chest
I want the spirits to take me, to guide me past the world of pain
I float melodically, I close my eyes with half turned lips
I ease into the gentle night, one with spirits on their quest
I'll melt into the sunset soon, and float in worlds beyond
A snatch of sound erupts somewhere, I break the boundaries of my trance
On the shore a fire roars, I come back to the world of men
And now with saddened heart I turn, slicing oars into the deep
Back to life and back to pain, I journey quiet and in thought
Someday I'll join the spirits still, as they float into the flames
For the moment I live on, dreaming of a warmer place
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I was out on a lake at sunset in a two-person kayak with my girlfriend. As we rowed farther and farther out towards the sunset over the mountains, it felt like I was getting pulled in. I was calm and entranced by the reds and yellows of the sky. It was as if the gates of another dimension were opening. My girlfriend told me a story her mother told her, about how the water is full of spirits that want to live again. It felt as if the spirits were pulling me towards the sunset. I decided to write a poem about this dazzeling experience.