Twice Entwined

Twice entwined
I sit again beside the weary fountain
Thoughts indistinct as its wavering motions
A muted splash, a slow-motion murmur
Celestial haze mingling in terrestrial fog
Rusted vines, brittle fingers slowly grasping
Attaching only to have the stone fall away
Every thieving hand so soon empty
The wine passes through my pale fingers
My flesh too fragile now to contain
Memory drifting in ever-widening ripples
And what Time carries away I cannot retain
I no longer know what draws me here
But twice entwined I cannot pull away
The vines clasp my wrists and leave nothing behind
Delicate flesh so soon dissipated
In air laden with the exhalations of those gone
My faltering breath is as theirs
What forgotten name holds me here?
The fountain's breath slow and heavy
The falling water has gathered dust
Motion slowed and motion stilled
Twice entwined and I am consumed
Consumed but not quite dissipated
My soul yet tethered to malleable flesh
I would turn away and have done
But the wine has fallen through my skin
And replaced the blood of my veins
The wine lies heavily and so
I remain beside the drunken fountain
Its speech indistinct as my own
Twice entwined by memories without name
Who are you that keeps me here?
Unnamed, you should hold no power
Embraced by vines glistening with water
Dusty water, its color long-gone
Motion repeated until the motive is lost
I am here again through reasons forgotten
Who are you that keeps me here?
Twice entwined, I cannot pull away
From that which I have forgotten