resource

previous part here: https://jordynsaelor.com/2026/02/19/2-seize-a-sky/

all parts here: https://jordynsaelor.com/cant-catch-me-now/

(This is another long poem, but this time I don’t feel like splitting it in 2)

***

I walked

up to a tree

and only fell once–

into a spherical bush–

along the way

then I whacked at a mossy branch

until it fell off

then I dragged it

to a spot of clear soil

and held the branch between both elbows

and wrote a rune for clean water

then I hobbled

to another tree

and elbowed off a chunk of bark

then I wobbled to the lake

and scooped water with it

and carried the meager puddle

to my rune

but on the way I fell

and spilled all the water

so I went again,

crawling,

bark in my teeth

and carefully

lowered the bark

to the rune

and ta-da,

the rune

fizzled and

purified the water

through the bark’s contact.

I slurped it,

licked it,

almost splintered my tongue

and needed to go back for more

than the three swallows I got

and on five trips

back and forth

I carved a deep path through the mud

and decorated my ugly sack

with streaks of green

and by the

time

I no longer thirsted

the sun was rising–

yes, rising,

the blue-green tinge to the sky

meant night, apparently.

And under the rising

magenta sun

the blue-green cover rippled,

crumbled

apart into streaking auroras

then rained

as crystals.

I crawled for cover

under a tree

but it wasn’t I

who needed to fear the crystals

but the crystals

who needed fear

the razor-edged grass

for when the crystals

touched

them,

they

whirred

and cut the crystals up

and the nose bottoms

inhaled the dust

and above me

the trees’

whirling leaves

clapped for their share too

and the floating pillows on the lake

exposed themselves as tongues

catching crystal flakes

then folding around them

and dragging them under

the rippling lake surface

and the hanging green things

reared up like mammoth trunks

and inhaled the crystals

but when

stray crystal dust

fell past the leaves

to my horrified form

and landed on my arm

I felt nothing special.

Just

a flake

like a bit of bread

or cheese.

But I swiped it off

fast

before one of the hanging things

came snuffing after me,

then the grass below

devoured it.

The crystal

rain

ended

suddenly

and the plants fell still

with no intention

of hurting me

so I crawled out into the open

carefully

and the sky revealed itself

like the color of fire

but didn’t burn, just warmed the air

slowly

so I spun a circle

wishing I knew

a navigation rune or two

to point me

toward a town

(if this realm

had those)

but

of course

spinning in circles

made my weak feet

drop me

to the grass

and I shivered

knowing how they could cut

even though they didn’t do it to me

and I figured

swimming around the lake

might work better

than walking

to explore

but from where I sat

the lake seemed surrounded by trees

so even better than exploring

what if

I shot a burst of light

into the sky?

Would anyone

living in the vicinity

(if there was anyone)

wonder why

and come looking?

***

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