From the remnant stones

From the remnant stones
of the ruins

of my first monumental loss
I constructed

an ancient wonder
to rival Pharos

and for most
of my two centuries 

I set sail
with purpose

and wrecked 
and rebuilt  

and wrecked again
by the light it cast

over the waters
that separate

and connect
until an earthquake

or time or time
the earthquake

finally felled it
and ever since 

that event undated
I have sailed

without incident
without difficulty

or direction
finally un-unhappy

upon the open sea
that composes

and disposes 
of every shore.

NATHANIAL LACHENMEYER

Nathaniel Lachenmeyer is a disabled author of books for children and adults. He has forthcoming/recently published poems in The American Poetry Review, Poetry International Online, Blue Earth Review, The Berlin Literary Review, North Dakota Quarterly, and DIAGRAM. Nathaniel lives outside Atlanta with his family. NathanielLachenmeyer.com.