Hours before love’s last breath

Steeped
in the stillness of January, in neon lights
and empty streets
love walks a tightrope where once the grass
was green.
Now, bare bushes abjure sun
and shadow

knowing bowl of lilacs mourn
love’s memory;
she tries to remember a time before him.

 

Photo credits: Pinterest

Posted for Quadrille  #72 @ dVerse Pub

56 thoughts on “Hours before love’s last breath

  1. Gina says:

    such eloquence and beauty in your words

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Gina 😀 so good to see you ❤️

  2. Jade Li says:

    oh the starkness and the ache i feel reading

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Jade 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️

  3. Sabio Lantz says:

    Wow, you often write of lost love, don’t you? Well captured

    1. Sanaa says:

      Definitely 🙂 thanks for stopping by, Sabio ❤️

  4. A gorgeous opening, ‘Steeped in the stillness of January’, Sanaa, and those lilacs mourning love’s memory!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Kim 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️

  5. You had me at a /bowl of lilacs/. You are a Romantic, for sure; not fearful of eros or loneliness. My poetics spew angst, anger and discontent more often than not. Your poems refresh me.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Awww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Glenn 😀 so glad you liked it! ❤️

  6. That bowl of lilacs….lovely.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Toni 😀 so good to see you ❤️

  7. James Feeney says:

    love walks a tightrope…..nice melancholy feel to this, beautifully crafted!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, James 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️

  8. Such beautiful words in this piece. Thanks for sharing.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Arcadia Maria 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️

  9. Truedessa says:

    The reader can feel the loss in your word and the bowl of lilacs adds an interesting scent. I would have probably chosen lilies., but that is just me the flower of mourning. Lovely writing Sanaa.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Truedessa 😀 so good to see you ❤️

  10. A wonderful poem. Steeped in January winter… and remembering a time before him! Well done!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Dwight 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️

  11. Frank Hubeny says:

    I like the steeped in stillness at the beginning and having forgotten the time before him at the end.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Frank 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️

  12. V.J. says:

    Nice use of the prompt. The setting emphasizes the fading hearts.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, V.J 😀 so good to see you ❤️

  13. Mish says:

    This line..”love walks a tightrope where once the grass was green” is such a vivid turning point in the poem. You can feel the passion and the loss.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Michelle 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️

      (and thank you for the lovely prompt) 🌹

  14. Nora says:

    Lovely weaving use of light and color (implied and clear) throughout. Wow.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Nora 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️

  15. gillena says:

    “love walks a tightrope”
    Clever image of tension in a relationship

    Much💟love

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Gillena 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️

      Much🌹🌻🌼love

  16. Jane Dougherty says:

    Such sad words.

  17. Love walking a tightrope is a precarious feeling. I am struck by the bowl of lilacs, mourning love’s memory.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Sherry 😀 so good to see you ❤️

  18. Timoteo says:

    All we need now is that muted, forlorn horn as we walk these streets. You have done it again, Sanaa! Created the perfect mood poem.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Timoteo 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️

  19. Rommy says:

    Perhaps it is time to leave the tightrope and ride out the January cold until warmer times return, with new blooms to admire.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Definitely 😀 thanks for stopping by, Rommy ❤️

  20. Bjorn Rudberg says:

    The bowl of lilacs make me think of a funeral… which it almost is… a tightrope walk it is until spring is here.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️

  21. rob kistner says:

    This has a sad beauty to it Sanaa – mournfully lovely…

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Rob 😀 so good to see you ❤️

  22. You write such romantic posts! And I adore the image you’ve chosen.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Lillian 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️

  23. De Jackson says:

    I love the juxtaposition of short and long lines used here, Sanaa. Your enjambment is fabulous, and the entire shape helps evoke that feeling of loss, and longing.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Awww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, De 😀 so glad you enjoyed it! ❤️

  24. Thotpurge says:

    Lovely opening Sanaa…..

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Rajani 😀 so good to see you ❤️

  25. Ache…..but beautifully!!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Sreeja 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️

  26. It’s all about the pain and you’ve got me feeling it. Fantastic!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Susie 😀 so good to see you ❤️

  27. The last line….
    I love that last line. Arriving home through those empty streets.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Yvonne 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️

  28. Lona Gynt says:

    The saddest part is that there is a feel of many years ahead of them, partners in a way, coupled, but love only a memory. It is even sadder since there was once love, now even the memories of it have passed to mourning. Perhaps it can be kindled if it has not been marred by cruelty. I agree this is perfect and sumptuous and oh such an ache. What a story in 44 words!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Lona 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *