In the beginning there was silence in golden dawn before the lapping of waves upon rocks,
Before the satin whisper of bird flight as they scattered, a single tawny feather left behind,
Before we broke the boundaries of sound and sight with our conquer code, addition mentality, necklace of thirst choking off the rivers and their yellow-gold reflections,
After havoc we handed down, we face the unrelenting smoke choked titian sun deflated in our failure, no ceremony, no ritual, no before.
Celia Turner is a Loveland published poet in Northern Colorado Writers annual anthology, Poetry Potion and winner of the 2020 Denver Women’s Press Club Unknown Writer’s Contest. She regularly studies poetry, takes workshops and classes. The Grind online practice of a daily poem submitted to a random participating group each month has been a boon. Poetry for her is an ongoing intimate conversation she continues to have with strangers.