A Poem a Day (38): Castle in the Sand

Today's poem is inspired by a picture from Greta Burroughs. 
I asked for some word or idea prompts because they help me to write. Greta suggested this beautiful picture. Greta is a writer of wonderful YA and children's books, including 
Gerald and the Wee People. If you would like me to write a poem for you, please leave a word or idea in the comments. Happy reading & writing to you! :)

Castle in the sand

electric pink mists streak the blue

like pastels rubbed by unseen hands;

dolphins leap in this cerulean escape,

their curved grey backs gleaming,

shattering the still image of the moon

rising beyond where eagles fly,

stretching up, reaching to the limits,

reflected in these once still waters.

the silvery glow of the restless moon

touches the tall peaks of a castle of old

hidden by green ivy creeping its walls

majestic in its beauty yet foreboding.

the dark windows yawn open, awaiting

any strangers who walk these shores.

a thin skit of pale wet sand invites,

carpeting where a drawbridge once hid.

the ruins waste alone, but no one comes

save for the ghosts that glide by night,

searching for the souls of lovers past

until the warming hum of the waking morn.

tiny birds dive amid these rotting turrets

while spiders scurry between the floors

where once a young princess lived alone

unravelling her hair to the sands below

copyright Vickie Johnstone