A POEM BY R. STEPHEN
Barefoot on the fractured oak
as still as the lake in which she fixates
underneath a ceiling of rust-lined mist
thoughts navigate the murky depths
Entranced by a mirror sky
burning in the evening hue
a portrait of nirvana
or hesitant curtain call
A citadel of pines
frames this vista canvas
dressed only in a wool cardigan
a saffron committal garment
Mountain slopes wear a veil of haze;
to complete her havened valley
a breeze whispers through chestnut locks
spellbound mask refuses to reveal intent
Her woollen robe slides over silk skin
crouched knees and arms outstretched
as the Kingfisher drops true
her soles vanish beneath the still waters.
About This Poem
Dissolve: A Quiet Surrender to Stillness
I wrote Dissolve to capture that moment where a person stands on the edge of something vast and unmoving, and feels themselves soften into it. The poem sits in a valley of silence, framed by pines, mist and a lake that refuses to ripple. It is a study in stillness, in the way a landscape can hold a person steady while their thoughts drift through deeper, darker waters.
The wool cardigan, the saffron garment, the fractured oak, the mirror sky burning in the evening hue. These details came from wanting the scene to feel both earthly and otherworldly, a place where someone might pause long enough to consider whether they are witnessing nirvana or a final curtain call. The Kingfisher’s drop is the catalyst, the moment where nature makes its decision and she follows, letting her soles slip beneath the surface without resistance.
The poem is not about despair. It is about surrender, about dissolving into a place that feels more honest than anything beyond its borders. A havened valley, a spellbound mask, a quiet release.
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