Guinevere By The Lake

She stares at her reflection

and perceives the sun
staining  her golden hair
with a tinge of blood.

 Her eyes close;  water ripples

and willow reeds shudder
 in the evening light. The air chilled.

Last year,  April was warmer.

Everything bloomed early
while hatchings broke their speckled shell.

Within her, a child formed

floating with pale ease
like the marsh flowers

or her face in the dusk light

when her lover muted
the candle’s  flame, and some wine
dissolved any guilt

No one thought – that  sooner would lead

to sudden loss. Blossoms shed
after one storm, the letter
she wrote to Lancelot -  burned
after a fall. She turned away
from the shrinking page, her words left
as a charred flutter on the hearth,
her shadow draping the stone wall.
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The beautiful artwork is by Spanish artist, Sonia Verdu.