There is something dangerous
about the way you kiss me—
not violence,
not hunger,
but the terrible tenderness
of being wanted without disguise.
Your mouth finds mine
and suddenly
I understand the weight of a moment.
How one breath
can become a threshold.
How touch can cause the soul
to forget
every warning it has ever been taught.
You kiss me slowly,
as though learning
a language that could ruin you.
I answer.
And the room falls away.
There is only the heat of your mouth,
the strange,
unbearable feeling
of being held
exactly where I am most fragile.
For a moment,
nothing exists beyond us.
Not tomorrow.
Not consequence.
Not the names
we will have to return to.
Only this—
the trembling pause before another kiss,
when desire becomes almost reverence,
when neither of us
dares to move
because moving
might break the spell.
And then you kiss me again.
Deeper.
Until tenderness
has teeth.
Perhaps that is why
I remember it.
Not because you touched me,
but because
for one brief moment
you made surrender feel holy.
And when you leave,
nothing remains
but the quiet,
the ache,
and the faint taste of smoke
where your mouth once was.
Every kiss leaves ash.
Photo credits: Pinterest
Posted for Open Link Night #413 with Live Edition @dVerse Pub
28 Responses
This feels so rich, loved mostly
Until tenderness
has teeth.
and then the strength in that longing afterwards
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Everything heightened, tenseness tightened because of the title, because one knew there was the sting coming at the end…of course that made the verse all the more sharp, poignant, sensual.
Wonderful.
Thank you so much, Ain 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
“Perhaps that is why
I remember it.
Not because you touched me,
but because
for one brief moment
you made surrender feel holy.”
Oh, what a beautiful, cautionary poem. Tenderness does indeed have teeth and it can take you places you never imagined were possible – which can be dangerous!
Thank you so much, Freya 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Sanaa, you are the Maestra of Sizzle. Love love love this. It takes me back… I wonder if there will be any more kisses like this in my future?
There will be, definitely!
Thank you so much, Lisa 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Beautifully captured – kisses have their own language!
Precisely! Thank you so much, Rowan 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Spiritual ecstasy! I feel like a fly on the wall in a room filled with heat! Well done, Sanaa!
Thank you so much, Dwight 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
That is exactly how it is to be lost in that moment. Rapturously perfect, Sanaa. <3
Thank you so much, Jennifer 😀 so glad the poem spoke to you 💄❤️
A gorgeous poem.
Love this line and so many others:
You kiss me slowly,
as though learning
a language that could ruin you.
So well done, Sanaa.
Thank you so much, Judy 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
That’s so beautifully sad… The kiss, the feeling like there is nothing else but this moment, and then ash…
…I love poetry of longing and tenderness so dearly… And this was beautifully written!
Thank you so much, Reelika 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Much love! Indeed that kiss sounds dangerous, but worth it 🫶
❤️❤️❤️
Simply a stunning, thought-provoking and tender poem from start to finish. Wonderful!
Thank you so much, Sunra 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
but the terrible tenderness
of being wanted without disguise.
The moment of ecstasy and reality beats ‘the terrible tenderness’ and makes it acceptable!
Beautiful write Sanaa!
Hank
Definitely! Thank you so much for stopping by, Hank 💄❤️
Dear Sanaa, to say you deconstruct each moment of these kisses, sounds too clinical, to crude a word, because you describe the kisses in swoon-worthy terms as only you can, our resident goddess of love poetry…
Thank you so much, Andrew 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
It was wonderful to hear you read this poem today, Sanaa! It’s a poem full of sensuality and passion, and I love how you capture the moment:
“the trembling pause before another kiss,
when desire becomes almost reverence,” ❤️
Awww gosh! Thank you so much, Merril 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️