Hide and Seek

"Hide and Seek"


I lie here
Surrounded by the thrum of summer
The yellow waves of a vast sea sway around me
Grass taller than my imagination
I can smell the earth
It is mingled with soil and fading wildflowers

I pray the birds do not give me away
I am ever so still
Holding my breath

The distance shares the laughter of my sister
As it dances closer amongst the sound of the nearby creek

The crack and thump of her footfalls flutter my stomach
Teasing me
Telling me to rise
To run
But the haze of comfort
Weighs heavy on me

As my clouded mind thickens with the warm sun in my eyes
I hear her murmur
Just before sleep takes me
“Come out Come out, Wherever you are.”


                                                                                              Robert Lloyd