Desire begins quietly:
like the smell of oranges after rain,
like a window left open in winter,
like something nameless pacing just outside the light.
Desire is:
a match struck under the tongue,
a glass of wine left breathing in the dark,
a hand hovering over a bruise,
the slow untying of gloves,
a wolf circling the same patch of snow,
perfume trapped inside an old coat,
a locked room with music behind it,
a train heard at midnight from miles away,
salt drying on bitten lips,
smoke curling from an unread letter,
the moon lowering itself into black water,
a knife polished until it reflects your face,
the moment before thunder admits itself,
the ache in a violin string before the bow,
a hunger elegant enough to call itself devotion.
And afterward—
the room still breathing around you,
candles collapsed into their own wax,
a single glove abandoned on the floor,
the window fogged with vanished mouths,
your name tasting different in your own mouth,
like something stolen gently from the dark.
Photo credits: Still life orange by Elena Katsyura, Pinterest
Bjorn hosts at dVerse where we are invited to write list poetry. Come join us! 🍵
Posted for Meeting the Bar: Unlock with Lists @dVerse Pub
38 Responses
Your list is one that readers are going to want to commit to memory ~~~ I already have. Cheers, Sanaa.
Thank you so much, Helen 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
This desire, in itself, is almost enough to satisfy.
Thank you so much, Ken 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Such wonderful imagery. Sigh. 💙
I especially liked
“the moment before thunder admits itself,
the ache in a violin string before the bow,”
The glove made me think of Bridgerton. 😊
Thank you so much, Merril 😀 so glad the poem spoke to you 💄❤️
your name tasting different in your own mouth,
like something stolen gently from the dark.
Not just a satisfaction and a relief but more of being able to declare a triumph
from the regular inconveniences. Grand close Sanaa!
Hank
Definitely 🙂 thanks for stopping by, Hank 💄❤️
Luv this list poem, Sanaa
Much love
Thank you so much for reading, Gillena 💄❤️
Stunning images, Sanaa. What an incredibly original and beautiful poem!!!!!
Thank you so much, Judy 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Sanaa fabulous imagery – love it 🥰
❤️❤️❤️
I love all the imagery of desire, and also the switch to afterwards which begs me asking if the desire was fulfilled or not…
Maybe it will be the same in both cases:
Giving in is guilt and being stoich build regrets.
Thank you so much, Bjorn 🙂 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
This a an amazing poem. every line stands out.
Thank you so much, Kim 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Fine sensual imagery, Sanaa, and then showing the room. Excellent 👏
Thank you so much, Shaun 😀 so glad the poem spoke to you 💄❤️
Just an exquisitely crafted list, Sanaa, communicating that nameless feeling we call desire but which as you show is a wealth of sensations that once drowns in. Beautifully written, my friend.
Thank you so much, Dora 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Wow, Sanaa, this is a stunning list describing desire…makes an impression for sure!
Thank you so much, Lynn 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Such beautifully flowing words and imagery – Jae
Thank you so much, Jae 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
I could smell it all. Thank you.
❤️❤️❤️
A list which intensifies with each seductive item to a climax to an intimate disentagling languor, hopefully with enough night reflected on its cooling glaze of sweat.
Thank you so much, Brendan 🙂 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
i get from this that desire is a string tying love to lust, light to dark, and you pluck that string and sing its resonance
Thank you so much, Eric 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Incredible imagery, Sanaa. I love the wrap-up at the end.
Stunning, incredible, excellent, fabulous…I could go on, Sanaa! You get the drift… Love it!! ❤️🥰💖
Thank you so much, Punam 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Thank you so much, Sara 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
Wow! Yes, I agree, that is exactly what desire is! Too many good lines to quote, just love the whole thing👌🏼
Thank you so much, Sunra 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️