somewhere
a bat flaps its wings and
you
storm into my life
this is how we bloomed, in the distance strung by RNA
behind locked doors and masked smiles
you call me before we sleep
my face so close to the phone when i blink my lashes sweep the screen
and you fight to be heard over my heartbeat, a voice
so soft that it makes me want to fall
(again)
into a dream about the sage rural town
where we spend the days making smiles and the nights love
and you are never far enough for me to miss your laugh
but then i was afraid
the light would fall asymmetrically and you would hate
trees that grew enough to give shade
maybe you were scared i would let go of your hand
in library aisles where the words eat
you, like the beast inside your head
your voice on the phone too soft
for my hands to catch, i let it go
out into the cold draught
where we nurture the dying orchid
but somewhere
we manage to hold off june for a little longer
i roll your name off my tongue without fear of losing it
we watch foreign tv shows and dance on the three-point line
sing lyrics to songs we cannot name in the key of every goodbye we’ve heard
tell me the story again
the one where he spelled her teeth so loose
when her tongue asked him to stay they filled up her mouth
and there was blood and space and nothing to bite
tell me it will never happen to us
say it, even as you hold
the pliers behind your back
leave this behind
let the wind carry you away
it will stop raining here
someday
This is gorgeous, Melody. Sumptuous imagery. I don’t know why exactly, but it reminds me of “Briggflats” by Basil Bunting.
You capture so well the joys and terrors of an intense physical love. And that last short stanza, with its sneaky rhyme, is a delight.
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Oh thank you so much Penny! Not sure what Briggflats is, but I’ll definitely check it out ☺️
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This is so good, Melody!👏
(I came back to read it, again.🙂)
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Thank you so much! Glad you liked it ☺️
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This is beautiful!
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Ahhh thank you! 💖
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so beautiful
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Thank you Emily! 💖
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Great job. I love how the ending and beginning mirror each other – that’s a powerful addition to the poem.
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Thank you so much Grace xx
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Beautiful imagery emerges from chaos…
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Thank you Nishu! 💖
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amazing work
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Thank you Nancy! x
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Lyrical string of words – so good – especially this line.
“somewhere
we manage to hold off june for a little longer
i roll your name off my tongue without fear of losing it”
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Thank you Michael! Glad you liked that line ☺️
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Once again. Beautiful and sensitive.
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Ahh thank you so much!
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