those who knew

by Deron Eckert

The closer the coasts moved in,

the more common the shipwrecks 

became. Oceans swelled slowly,

but their slight changes disguised

them enough from those who knew

them so well they could tell the

hour of day by the sound

the waves made as they crashed in

that by the time they reached the

thickets of grass defining

land from sea, those who knew that

song by heart could now only 

hear it singing in their heads.

The farther the tides crept up 

beaches that grew greedier

in their embrace, the harder

those who knew them best chased their

familiar call, even if 

it meant their end, because those 

who knew they had already

lost so much refused to let

their beloved song leave, too. 

Deron Eckert is a writer and attorney who lives in Lexington, Kentucky. His writing has appeared in Rattle Magazine, Fahmidan Journal, Sky Island Journal, Swim Press, Treehouse Literary, and Rue Scribe and is forthcoming in Ghost City Review and Querencia Press' Winter 2023 Anthology. He was a flash fiction finalist in New Millenium Writing’s 54th Writing Awards. He is currently seeking publication for his Southern Gothic, coming-of-age novel, which explores how personal experiences change our preconceived notions of right and wrong, while working on a collection of poetry and prose.