Once there was a boy

Soul and skin raked with gold
The sea, splintering in its wide sweep
A rising heart
Shined by the blows of the water
The brine, the radiance of the sun

An old car flooded far behind
The bare beat of boots on earth
One pair, ringing
On the red rocks of this open world
This forever soaring path

The orange gunshots of wild flame
Cinder halos flying in a long night
Two warm faces
Locked in softly shifting shadow
Sparks climbing among the stars

There, the surging split peaks
The upward spiral of the thicket
Wings, their shadow
On the blinding brightness of the sky
For the wild has no ceiling

Once there was a boy

Of frozen skin and flying soul
Eyes flat and glittering, fading glass
Watching in wonder
The sky as it shattered before him
Alone beneath a hard sun, spraying light

His was a happy story.