The air is sugared and burning.
Strawberries and cigarettes—
one for hunger,
one for the ache after.
Breath hangs between us,
urging me to question
proximity,
both quiet
and loud as never before—
When you exhale,
I lean in—
let the smoke enter me
like a dare.
It tastes bitter, but I stay.
Your lips find mine,
though it is not the sweetness
that I notice first—
it is ember, the slow scorch of want,
the way pleasure can carry
its own ruin.
Somewhere, ash falls.
Somewhere, a berry bruises
under the weight of our hands.
We do not speak.
I observe the red stains on your mouth,
as smoke fills my lungs—
The night watches like it already knows
how this will end—
with sweetness gone soft,
and fire
burned down to something small
and glowing—
still dangerous if touched.
Photo credits: Pinterest
Posted for Open Link Night #403 (+Live) @dVerse Poets Pub
33 Responses
Oh….so seductive and breathtaking with the unique incorporation of cigarettes and strawberries. Wow.
Especially love…
“it is ember, the slow scorch of want,
the way pleasure can carry
its own ruin.”
Thank you so much, Mish 😀 so glad the poem spoke to you 💄❤️
I would have guessed this poem was yours, Sanaa! So sensual! The smoke makes me think of an old black and white movie, but that final stanza is fire! 🔥❤️
Aww gosh! Thank you so much, Merril 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Killer opening line AND a great ending as well! Loved it.
Thank you so much, Christopher 🙂 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
I love all the hints at colour, Sanaa, the ember, the berry bruises and red stains, and the appeal to the sense of smell in the sugared air, the strawberries, and cigarettes, especially in the lines:
‘let the smoke enter me
like a dare.
t tastes bitter, but I stay’
and
‘…it is not the sweetness
that I notice first—
it is ember, the slow scorch of want’.
Thank you so much, Kim 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
An absolutely perfectly matched mismatch. Salute
Thank you so much, Ron 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
The poetry inside, between and after the kiss is a terrior of infinite distinctions and possibilities, and what apt navigator, spelunker, sommolier and royal dunce it finds here afresh. Even in this porno of a present. Attagirl. Now let’s see what’s beyond the nave.
Thank you so much, Brendan 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
You have captured the tension of desire, the push and pull.
The air is sugared and burning.
Strawberries and cigarettes—
one for hunger,
one for the ache after.
These lines were a great way of pulling me into the poem.
It sounds like a sizzling attraction that only leads to emptiness.
WOW!!!
This is awesome. I hope you read it on Saturday
Much love
Yes, I am planning on it! Thank you, Gillena ❤️❤️
Thank you so much, Alicia 😀 so glad the poem spoke to you 💄❤️
What is great about this poem is what is not said. The sensuality and eroticism is suggested, implied. That last verse is masterful.
JIM
Thank you so much, Jim 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
The sensuality in this is wonderful.
Thank you so much, Pamela 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
A very sensuous poem, Sanaa. So many good images and comparisons.
it is ember, the slow scorch of want,
the way pleasure can carry
its own ruin.
Thank you so much, Dwight 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Strawberries and cigarettes! An interesting dichotomy to write around. Inventive and well done.
Thank you so much, Shaun 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Whoa this is so beautifully composed. The layers! Amazing.
Thank you so much, Jay 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Like Merril, I would have identified this as one of your poems amongst a thousand others, Sanaa, so sensual, intimate, visceral… Your love poems leave me melted in a small puddle on the floor…
Thank you so much, Andrew 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
I feel grateful that I have known this. I especially love: it is ember, the slow scorch of want,
the way pleasure can carry
its own ruin.
Oh my goodness–juicy, sweet and bittersweet, and smoldering. One of my favorites of yours. Those middle stanzas especially! <3
This is stunning, Sanaa! Just love it, especially this amazing stanza:
“Your lips find mine,
though it is not the sweetness
that I notice first—
it is ember, the slow scorch of want,
the way pleasure can carry
its own ruin.”
💖
smoldering!
Smouldering with the push and pull of desire, this is exquisitely written, Sanaa! 🔥❤️