Gaea

By Cindy Mercedes

Crashing waves

She was made of sharp edges and soft curves,
eyes a deep brown with specks of gold.
She smelled of dew after a rain,
of pine cones that littered forest floors.

Everything about her was beautiful-
from her compassion that blossomed with vibrant colors,
breathing new life unto slumbering seeds.
To her sincerity that promised good fortunes;
to the sea that carried fishermen, calm in its wake.

Although she was compassionate,
she carried also the sharp cruelty of rotting decay-
of a deep darkness raging inside.
No matter how pleasant she smelled,
came also the putrid stench
of decay and sulfur from her depths.

Her skin was rough like the bark of a tree;
rough like glittering sands, however,
there was softness to her-
something cool and translucent;
as pale as bones
and frigid to the touch.

Her violent fury called forth the storm,
wreaking havoc, splitting seas,
splintering through the screaming earth,
leaving behind silent devastation
and crumbled ruins in her wake.

Everything about her was frightening-
to her wrath and merciless hands,
to her wickedness and destruction.
Embedded deep inside her core
a wickedness slumbered,
beneath the sharp edges
and soft curves of her body.

Category: Featured, Poetry, SNHU Creative Writing, SNHU Student