You leave me unfinished
staring deeply into the abyss of time,
I, a rough sketch of desire, attempting to put words together
your scent lingers as rain
conjuring a gentle yet dark pattern upon my skin,
remember when we were strangers–
in tandem stationed in the bucolic hills
the shape of those days
meant nothing if either one of us wasn’t contained in them,
your scent dances around inside my head
as autumn leaves cascade to the ground unhindered–
the night has already beckoned the body to rest,
conscious of raw rush taking over as I drift into sleep.
Your lips erubescent — taste of the finest raisins and cherries
oh, how I wanted you to define me!
You are poetry that seeks to align me with the world
without pretense;
I, a warm and persistent candle wafting in the wind,
remember when we were strangers?
Photo credits: Pinterest
Posted for Sanaa’s Challenge @ Real Toads
And on Writers’ Pantry @ Poets and Storytellers United
52 Responses
A stranger though, yet so close to heart, spreading warmth.
Thank you so much, Vandana 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
How comfortable we can be with people that once were strangers when we reveal to each other a desirable match. I often found that it was usually in the first touch that one’s confidence or concern reveals itself. and warmth obviously helps.
Thank you so much, Robin 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
I kept thinking of wine when I read your words. The taste that lingers in one’s memories …leaves us with a profile of both bitter and sweet~ Beautiful!
Thank you so much, Ella 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
This conveys so much sensuality and unrushed urgency, if there’s such a thing. I often struggle with finding a favorite part with your work, as each amazing line ties in to the last one and the next one… I come undone trying to grapple with this!
Thank you so much, Barry 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Beautiful write! The scent of a lover, someone who is or once was part of you, never really fades.
Thank you so much, Helen 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
This gives me an image of two lovers going back to a memory of the moment that they first met, when they had not yet known each other in depth.
The scent of rain and the taste of a kiss. Imagery that gives. Thank you, Sanaa
Thank you so much, Stranded Tree 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
This is beautifully written, Sanaa, and also I really like the word “erubescent.”
Thank you so much, Jenna 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Eros is the poem, blossoming round the traces of scent. Fine work showing how what we yearn and sing are florals of the same magnificence. Well done Sanaa, great prompt.
Thank you so much, Brendan 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
When you know your lover’s scent, you know her real name and you cannot be strangers.
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Sooo very nice, “puppy love” we call it here, or if no contact is made “a crush.” Also a first date without a second, or at least a third. I have a few of those of different sorts. We’ve been married though there are a couple of, then young, ladies I sometimes wonder about.
Thank you for the nice prompt, even though I am on sabbatica I couldn’t help myself but to write for it. It works on its face but I couldn’t get a little deeper that I’d liked to have had.
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Thank you so much, Jim 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
A scent lingering like rain- a beautiful write
Thank you so much, Vivian 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
Such a beautiful poem! Almost fantastical in its wondrous language and imagery, yet grounded and coherent; so well-structured. I think it’s my current favourite of yours. (But I know you will surpass it, as you always do.)
Awwww gosh! ❤ Thank you so much, Rosemary 😀 so glad you liked it! ❤
You are poetry that seeks to align me with the world..
Such a stunning line of poetry! You create rare beauty with your words, Sanaa.
Thank you so much, Kerry 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤
So nicely written, Sanaa. You made me think of the folk, intimate or ‘friends ‘. I’ll think some more too, “remember when we were strangers?”
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Thank you so much, Jim 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤
Your opening lines made me sit up, Sanaa, and I love the phrase ‘a rough sketch of desire’ and the sensual appeal of ‘your scent lingers as rain’ – when you really know your lover – and ‘Your lips erubescent — taste of the finest raisins and cherries’.
Thank you so much, Kim 😀 so glad you enjoyed it! ❤
I love your parting lines
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“You are poetry that seeks to align me with the world.” This is such a wonderful line, Sanaa. So many implications. To me, it speaks of the power of perspective: Is poetry a dancer guiding the speaker towards balance and grace? Is poetry a wrangler pushing its way around until the speaker submit? Is poetry a partner? The list can go on. And that’s what I like about the line–it opens so many doors of thought.
Thank you so much, Magaly 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤
“oh, how I wanted you to define me!”
Ah yes the madness of immature absorbing love, i remember days like that
Happy Sunday Sanaa
Much❤love
Definitely 😀 thanks for stopping by, Gillena ❤
Much❤love …
Wanting someone else to define us is a dangerous position, is it not?
One that requires a lot of courage … yes … so glad you liked it ❤
“the shape of those days / meant nothing if either one of us wasn’t contained in them” – a beautiful statement on how we define our realities and create our own meaning. This whole piece is really wonderful.
Thank you so much, H. Hennenburg 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤
I had “flash backs” (good ones) reading this.
ZQ
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It is often hard to capture the magic of “when we were strangers”. Your words capture the magic!
Awwww gosh! ❤ Thank you so much, Beverly 😀 so glad you liked it! ❤
…without pretense. Knowing someone so well, hard to imagine a time without them…
Absolutely! ❤ Thanks for stopping by, Margaret 😀
Memories…traveling back to the beginning. It can be a blessing or a curse. Beautiful poem.
Thank you so much, Susie 😀 so glad you liked it ❤
It’s so true that an instant’s experience can color so much of life thereafter. A sensuous treatment of emotional attachment.
Thank you so much, Steve 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤
Wonderful writing. ‘You are poetry that seeks to align me with the world’ ~ sigh ~ beautiful … an indelible line of poetry.
Thank you so much, Wendy 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤