wishing wells

threw a coin into a wishing well

watched it sink down to the bottom

let my secrets fall down, rotten

and the wish in the well as well

dirty water can still cleanse

dirtier water, time unspent

is still time spent, through a different lens

words never mean what they might have meant

the water washed away

the dirt on the damaged coin

but couldn't erase, didn't have a say

on the blood with which it was conjoined

the wishing well's water wasn't clean

it was weighed by time and

all the horrors it had seen

nor enemy, nor friend

it existed in a state of neutrality

despite the pieces of war and wishes

it held within, an endless capacity

to keep at bay those wild militias

and keep away the pain and loss

from the end of the world to the start

of something new, pathways cross

coins are tossed, it's not that hard

the water splashes and I place the blame

on the weight of my words

on the ripples that called my name

when I spoke the wish and the water heard

now that I've thrown my coin into the wishing well

amongst the echos of others

who've done the same, but who can tell

who they were, fathers, mothers

children with a hope for change

adults slowly going insane

only the throw of a coin still in their range

perhaps it's pointless, perhaps it's lame

or perhaps it's all we've ever known

in spite of what we know we'll never have

to nevertheless wish for signs to be shown

to take each other's hand

even as you stand there by yourself

let the echos be your friends

then ask the waiting wishing well

to tell you how this ends

so you won't have to pretend

you know more than you let on

and you'll finally comprehend

where wishes go when they're gone

and you'll realise it's not so black and white

nor static or stuck or out of reach

but colours hide, and change like the tide

until they ostensibly bleach

squint your eyes

and the world will conform

to the vision you see, the lies

you'll believe and will call the norm

it's easy to feel discouraged and wrong

if you close your eyes, you feel alone

the path seems hard, the road long

so open your eyes, and feel in your bones

the running of blood that allows you to breathe

the wishing well that has seen everything

will tell you 'if you believe, you will succeed'

and the coin now sunk is your invisible string

tying you to who you might've been

if your words meant nothing

and you lived to sin

and the coin in your hand was slowly rotting

my heart has learnt to cradle the pain

gently and slowly, but it's all in disdain

for the stars are dimming and the moon's in its wane

and my dutiful actions were all done in vain

I stare at the wishing well, the wishing well stares back

I've thrown my last coin and have nothing more to offer

the water rejoices and the sky turns black

and the weight on my shoulders finally feels softer

Hi sweet souls! Thank you endlessly for reading and have a lovely day! 🤍

With love, Ella