CENTRIPETAL
D IANE T. PADILLA A FTERTHOUGHT I am not an afterthought Dancing to the tunes of A silver starfish Beached on the shores Of a fractured life. Tides of emotions Roll in with gifts of smiles Then the rapid retreat When an outstretched hand Takes the bait. Only once were the waters Stilled long enough to gaze Into the blue deep Currents of confusion The Marianna Shelf of Hidden Passions. Sudden swirlings Tossed up churned pulled under— No more will I fish in these waters Dark and stormy. I fought my way out of the riptide And stand on solid ground where I pass a starfish Bleached white by The sun of my indifference.
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PA D I L L A