1. A slender, graceful woman or girl.
2. (In folklore) one of a race of supernatural beings supposed to inhabit the air.
How is she supposed to inhabit the air? This sylph
This slender girl that knows not yet how
To be a woman, graceful, capable in her slenderest
Arms, her smallest ankles, her bones that only
Years ago could break so easily, falling from a tree.
More a baby bird than the dove that takes flight,
That calls to the wind, to a lover, a future
Mate, who calls back, who waits, who knows
He will not have to wait much longer. And this girl
Stands at the roots and looks up at the limbs
And is suddenly afraid to climb. She forgets
The footholds. She only sees where she slipped before.
She remembers the sound of the snap and her scream
That rustled the leaves as the birds burst into flight.
No comments:
Post a Comment