Last night I dreamed about Catherine. She was wild, riding her bike and moving through time. We were all under the bright blue sky, yet above the blue stained beaches of the Côte D'Azur. Jules and I watched her between us like a nice drink. The joy of Voltaire’s Candide was still in the air. Three hearts beating together in a strange way.
Then came an unexpected knock at the door. Old memories of war came back to haunt us. Letters crossed borders while bullets crossed trenches, friend aiming at friend through teary gun-sights. I cursed in the daylight, And moaned under the moonlight, frustration escaping from my lips. Jules held her while I waved another flag. Their marriage was like a wound that just wouldn't heal. Like Beckett’s Godot, I waited for her to nestle in my arms.
Catherine, like quicksilver, impossible to catch— She danced between us like fire between mirrors. She jumped into the river, laughing at death, while we stood frozen, scared, but amazed. I fought through dark nights before, but never faced two battles: One for my country, one for love. The loud silence of our loss hit hard, as she took us both, owned us both. Winning was impossible in this three-way fight.
Time spun like her bike wheel. Years passed like burning pages of books. Now, she drove with me beside her. Jules watched from the shore of their love. The haunting strains of Lili Marlene wafted through the years, while shadows gathered around her smile.
I dream again of Catherine. We are under the blue sky, yet above the blue stained beaches of the Côte D'Azur. She's driving now, with passion and doom twisted together. The bridge is coming; she has made up her mind. In a heartbeat, she quickly turns onto rue de Temple, but she goes straight into the void, Taking our story with her. The joy of Voltaire’s Candide sinks in the river, while Jules and I stand apart, separated by the woman who united us.
Dr. Michael Anthony Ingram is the host and producer of the internationally recognized poetry podcast Quintessential Poetry: Online Radio, YouTube and Zoom. Through his work as a retired associate professor of Counselor Education and Supervision and as a noted poet and spoken word artist, Dr. Ingram also leverages the arts, especially poetry, to bring attention to the effects of power, privilege, and oppression in our society. He is a Pushcart Prize nominee, and his second poetry collection, Metaphorically Screaming, is eagerly anticipated. For more information about Dr. Ingram or the podcast, visit https://www.qporytz.
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