We learn it slowly—
how not to
rush
the moment into confession.
Your hand pauses as if listening
to the air,
as if the body must be asked
before it is known.
There is a rule here:
nothing taken,
everything received.
We stand close enough for heat
to remember itself,
for breath
to change its mind, for silence
to grow attentive.
Touch becomes intention, not claim—
a held note
that refuses
to collapse into sound.
What we practice is restraint,
and in it, a deeper ache:
the exquisite order
of wanting
and waiting
and not turning away.
Even the dark holds
its shape when we are careful.
Photo credits: Pinterest
For the last Oln of 2025 at dVerse Pub, where Grace is our lovely hostess, see you
all next year on January 5 💛
Posted for Open Link Night #398 @dVerse Poets Pub
15 Responses
The concluding lines of the restraing that makes us want even more rings so very true… Like the poem a lot.
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Beautiful restraint and pause. These lines are specially moving:
Touch becomes intention, not claim—
a held note
that refuses
to collapse into sound.
Wishing you happy holiday break Sanaa. Thank you for a wonderful 2025!
Thank you so much, Grace 😀 so glad the poem spoke to you 💄❤️
Happy holiday break to you too! 🥂
Ah, Sanaa, the frisson of restraint! I love the thought of a hand pausing ‘as if listening to the air’ and touch becoming intention, not claim’.
Thank you so much, Kim 😍 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
“for breath /
to change its mind”
With these words, I imagine one lover’s exhale being inhaled by the other, all in a heartbeat.
Precisely! Thank you so much, Ken 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
A beautifully creative poem, Sanaa. Well done!
I especially enjoyed the beauty of that fourth stanza. Merry Christmas, Sanaa!
“the body must be asked before it is known” ~~ this line is perfection in a poem begging the reader to use restraint when touch becomes intention. Gorgeous writing. Wishing you a healthy, happy New Year Sanaa.
I love the form/your words but also the ideas are really deep and affecting. Consent is so important!
The yearning within the restraint is palpable, Sanaa–
“What we practice is restraint,
and in it, a deeper ache:”
A beautiful poem! 💙
Gorgeous, Sanaa! You make restraint sound so sensual.
Wishing you a great year ahead.
What we practice is restraint,
and in it, a deeper ache:
Stunning…a sculpture of words…