i.
They offered her the comfort of a lie,
and she wrapped up in it
like a blanket after midnight.
She looked up for one last breath.
"I am not afraid to die,"
he said with his eyes.
So she took a leap of faith,
defying her orders, her instincts, and gravity,
and they joined breathlessly
where the best-dressed would later drown.

   ii.
And so,
while she is held captive by
expectations and a diamond ring,
he is held captive by his past and silver cuffs.
If the power of belief
is enough to steady the shakiest of hands,
they've got a fighting chance.

   iii.
Where it began, so it
breaks. This time, they
climb the rail together,
holding tight to all they
know, and all they've
learned, and all they've
created-- and each other.

   iv.
With purple lips and aching heart,
she gives to him the only thing he asked for:
her word.

He slips into the warmth of sleep,
and the last thing he sees
is the woman
whose heart will always belong to him.

It takes more strength
to loosen her grip
than to cross what may as well be
the entire ocean.

   v.
Even now, she hears the call.