did you hear the legend of

the woman stranded barefoot

in wait

grounded in steady belief

that belief itself

paints

reality

told

if she peeled apart

the hidden layers of her heart

unveiled and lovely

to behold

it would be enough

still,

a bitter sea

ever screams

how sacred,

carried safe in the

center of your soul,

love,

is the only legend

and yet, she waited

longing to reach a

trembling finger

across impossibility

and brush something real

fingertips against

velvet lips

twin-hearts

as one

my heart

ruptures

and bleeds

when

I think of her

in want of love

someone

take her and

breathe life

into her fragility,

tell her what she

believes is so

while

my feet

cement with the crowd

shouting what

I’m not sure is true

passion penned

stories

at war with reality

tell me what’s real

so I might save her

she’s a mirage,

fading from who she once was

hope flickers to ash

feet weary and cold

in the grass

and, that belief would be enough–

it is the greatest lie of all

I wish to scoop up

what is left

tell her how noble

it was

but she’s vanished

all legend now

the woman who believed

I can’t forget

lest I become her

___

EDEN CAMPBELL is a published poet and writer out of Austin, Texas. Her work can be found in the anthology Byline Legacies, and in online magazines such as Severance, Thrive Global, and Romper. When she isn’t reading romance, or writing it, she’s probably penning poetry on why it doesn't exist at all. She can be found on TikTok and Instagram, where she shares tips on writing (and only minimally references her theories on love). TikTok: @EdenCampbellWrites IG: @Authoredenc