When I became a mountain

I remember the morning I became a mountain
I dared you to climb me
I dared you to blow me over

“You’ll never see the end of me,” I bellowed

I remember how under the noon sun I grew into a cactus
Who would challenge my army of spines
Challenge the SUN, the ageless years

“In this land of bones, I’ll be untouchable water in your desert.”

I remember the evening I folded into a deep ravine
With a river as my archangel
A meandering wave song, an eroded soul

“With wave song and waters we carve the land, always have, always will.”

I remember the dusk I turned into a bat
Swooping low with mad, black eyes, flashing
Darting under the spotted light of UFOs

“Eat to live or live to eat, all of us know madness under a sky of UFOs”

And I remember the night

The blood moon one, remember? When I turned from stone to sand, and water to powder

And the stars shone brighter for a minute, guiding me, giving me time to be carried by the wind

And scattered across the earth. Like a daydream. Or a fever.

I remember the first time I heard my name called
Aloud
In a manner of evolution never taught to me before

And I spoke

And for the first time heard the sound of my own voice

© 2023 Elizabeth Mathews

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“When I Became a Mountain” was written by Elizabeth Mathews. Watch for more posts from her. You can find her author page here on The Creative Exiles.
https://www.creativeexiles.com/author/elizabeth-mathews/

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Elizabeth Mathews

I do ecological restoration work and map making. I love to write poetry and short stories on the side, and I make art through collage and AI generation.

Latest posts by Elizabeth Mathews (see all)

• When I became a mountain - January 8, 2023
• Lifetimes - November 2, 2022
• The Trouble with Charles - October 30, 2022