Night was elongation of berry-red urge
and desire,
carrying your words like wisps of clouds–
I watch as they mouth your name
and paint
every emotion that has ever erupted within me
in raisin black.
I have been halved and cored,
held on to every thought as you kiss my lips
while they retort–
my torment is one of freckles upon blood oranges,
their vital force
pulled apart so that cloying would last; would last.
Photo credits: Thomas Saliot, Pinterest
“I have been halved and cored,” from Perennial by Kerry O’ Conner ❤️
Posted for Weekend Mini-Challenge: 13 Poetic bits of kerry @ Real Toads
64 Responses
This is a deeply passionate poem, Sanaa. The image of fruit gives me associations of both ripeness and decay, the yin and yang of relationships. It is wonderful to see my line in your poem but your own words affect me more:
their vital force
pulled apart so that cloying would last
Thank you so much, Kerry 😍 so glad the poem resonated with you 🍓❤️
What an intense and powerful poem
Thank you so much, Jae 😀 so good to see you 🍓❤️
This is so good, Sana’a. So good.
What fabulously creative phrasing’s:
“elongation of berry-red urge”
“every emotion that has ever erupted within me
in raisin black”
“my torment is one of freckles upon blood oranges”
The rhyme throughout is excellent.
Thank you so much, Shawna 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 🍓❤️
I don’t often use the word “organic” to describe a poem, but the terms was the first thing that came to mind when I read this one. This poem is alive, fighting with lips, watching the world and recording its feels, it’s being cut but continues to be whole. The end, in particular, that final bit of repetition “would last; would last” sticks to the chest walls… and lingers.
Thank you so much, Magaly 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 🍓❤️
(and thank you for the glorious prompt) 🌹
I love how you’ve taken Magaly’s thirteen bits and turned them into fragments of an era, Sanaa, as well as the fruitiness you have imbued in your poem: the colourful ‘berry-red urge and desire’, ‘raisin black’ and the ‘freckles upon blood oranges’; and the passion in being halved and cored.
Thank you so much, Kim 😀 so glad you liked it 🍓❤️
This is filled with raw emotion. Lovely!
Thank you so much, Vivian 😀 so good to see you 🍓❤️
I have fallen head over heels with your poem, the magic you imbued in colors and descriptive words. Sigh.
Thank you so much, Helen 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 🍓❤️
A lovely and passionate poem
Thank you so much, Toni 🙂 so glad you liked it 🍓❤️
Inspired use of the prompt! And I love that perfectly judged repetition at the end.
Thank you so much, Rosemary 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 🍓❤️
What a fruity piece of poetry Sanaa! How we always want to have each pleasure last a little longer, forgetting that desiring something is often more satisfactory than achieving it only to find you are empty again!
Thank you so much, Robin 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 🍓❤️
Sappho was the first poet of desire, measuring Eros at the ends of arousal — O that a touch could halve and core a longing , that torment could be so delicate and wild at once, filling all the sails with gorgeous abandon. Lovely work Sanaa.
Thank you so much, Brendan 😀 so glad you liked it 🍓❤️
This is such intense and passionate imagery. It grabs at us instantly and builds from there.
Thank you so much, Rommy 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 🍓❤️
Your borrowed line works seamlessly in this poem. And I love the closing lines.
Thank you so much, Sherry 😀 so good to see you 🍓❤️
vivid and passionate!
Thank you so much, Margaret 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 🍓❤️
Rich imagery and colour, Sanaa.
Thank you so much, Rajani 😀 so glad you liked it 🍓❤️
The play of colors with such depth and emotion so lifts the poem! The poem touches reality going beyond sweetness.
Thank you so much, Sumana 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 🍓❤️
If someone could halve and core me, I certainly wouldn’t complain! 🙂
🍓❤️🍓❤️
Raisin black! Love that.
Thank you so much, Marian 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 🍓❤️
I love the line about being halved and cored. And the colors bring this to life.
Thank you so much, Colleen 😀 so glad you liked it 🍓❤️
The duplicity of sensuous love is well evoked, the fire the passion the sweetness and the letting go
Happy Sunday, thanks for dropping by my blog today
Much✏love
Thank you so much, Gillena 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 🍓❤️
Much📝love
Love all the colors…
🍓❤️🍓❤️
Beautifully, richly passionate and visceral, as ever, my dear Sanaa – I especially like the notion of: “freckles upon blood oranges…” and the use of “raisin black” Beautiful and inspiring writing…
Thank you so much, Scott 😀 so glad you liked it 🍓❤️
“Night was elongation of berry-red urge and desire” Goodness, from your very first line I was captivated. You have written so well of the bite romance hold when it is in the throes of darkness. I have so loved watching you grow into such a talented poet.
Awwww gosh! 🍓❤️ Thank you so much, Susie 😀 so glad you enjoyed it! 🍓❤️
Something in this made me think of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly”. This poem is incredibly visceral. I love the images of fruit – ripe and coming apart. “I have been halved and cored” is a wonderful line!
Thank you so much, H. Hennenburg 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 🍓❤️
The freckles on a blood orange…
like the mole on a model it’s what make passion perfect
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad you liked it 🍓❤️
When you are hollowed out like this–the only thing left is to claim your power–i loved this!!!
Thank you so much, Audrey 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 🍓❤️
second read through… halved and cored – that is very vivid and leaves one quite vulnerable.
Thank you so much, Margaret 😀 for your second visit! Sending love and hugs your way 🍓❤️
Yet another stunning piece. I really like what you did with the construction of this one …. it is rather mesmerizing.
Thank you so much, Wendy 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 🍓❤️
I loved this so much. So many emotions and such vivid images!
Thank you so much, Pratibha 😀 so glad you liked it 🍓❤️
“would last; would last.” Such torment! And within the very fruit of our lives . . . .
Thank you so much, Susan 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 🍓❤️
Words of longing and sadness. You give us interesting shades of your world. thank you
Thank you so much, Joel 🙂 so glad you liked it 🍓❤️
Your last two lines are a perfect closing to this excellent, well written poem.
Thank you so much, Sara 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 🍓❤️