nights we stole away like art thieves
from the crowds
mid-afternoons we melted like dark
sticky chocolates in our hands
long walks on beaches dotted
coconut trees & wooden huts
boat rides, early morning talks,
mirrored walls, spicy dishes
you never gave me flowers
but one ivory shell, palmed-smooth
as you traced words on my skin
imprinted passion, mapled & lush
we mixed colors, painting canvases
until we ran out of breath, reasons & time
swiftly passes by, leaf by leaf
clocking blur as heavy fog hides my tears
autumn air descends once more
& you're not here
slowly, the sea is swallowing me-
mories dyed in sunset & sands
where do we keep them? i asked -
in clouds, visible only to us, you said-
i drink red wine after dinner to
forget the embers in your eyes
& sky so blue, that shade of blue
ink, fire & dust
& i remember
Posted for D'verse Poet Pub - Hosted by K ~ I will be by to return your visits ~
Picture credit: Tumblr
art thieves ... stealing beauty....
ReplyDeletesmiles...really nice intimacy in this, i like the creative texture you give it, the painting...the melting chocolates, stealing moments...it ends on a sad note, trying to erase those memories...equating it to ink, fire and dust, like they are the elements...cool...
ReplyDelete"ink, fire & dust' love the language and the image it conjures up for me. glad for the weekend, the time to read and comment.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful poem, Grace! Love the ivory shell, palmed smooth. I like to think about memories stored in the clouds…despite the heaviness of losses....private messages to be found there for those who look & remember.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful! Just love the imagery. A lot of great lines here:
ReplyDelete"you never gave me flowers / but one ivory shell, palmed-smooth" and "as you traced words on my skin/imprinted passion, mapled & lush" are my favourite.
silently, one by one, days pass by
ReplyDeleteetched in memories for forever :)
slowly, the sea is swallowing me-
ReplyDeletemories dyed in sunset & sands
I had to do a double take here w/ mories, but figured it out and love it. Great poem, Grace.
Very poignant Grace. Well written and clear tone all throughout. Enjoyed reading it.>KB
ReplyDeleteHey Grace - this heats up as it goes along, even as the love bits fade - very poignant close. Thanks. k.
ReplyDeleteSo sensuous a road leading to heartbreak and memory. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the romantic rambling is the stuff of poetics, the stuff of heart memory, what wounds us & nurtures, forces reparation & motion, replacing one with another, finding love in the places unseen before, in the people in plain sight, invisible while in lust; like the line /where do we keep them? i asked/in clouds visible only to us, you said/ thanks; loved it.
ReplyDeleteI love '..ink, fire & dust ..' Hard to forget.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous and evocative, a beautifully sad love story.
ReplyDeleteIt is a romantic picture of love's stolen moments. I hope they linger for you always.
ReplyDelete"until we ran out of breath, reasons & time"
ReplyDeleteBeautiful.
Incredible Heaven, this is just perfection, this poem has hit me hard in a big way, massively, just perfect.
ReplyDeletebeautiful. I like the split of me- /mories, took me a second, but it was nicely placed. I also liked "in clouds, visible only to us." there are so many striking memories in here—truly lovely.
ReplyDeleteWow intimate and then some, hard to forget even when heartbreak hits
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful. I especially like the last 9 lines. What a gorgeous image, as well.
ReplyDelete~butterfly garden
Lovely, sumptuous so many incredible lines and emotions you have wrapped into this - I especially like,
ReplyDeletewhere do we keep them? i asked -
in clouds, visible only to us, you said-
I am also remembering from the blue of sky/eyes. How beautifully written, with this amazing transition:
ReplyDelete"we mixed colors, painting canvases
until we ran out of breath, reasons & time
swiftly passes by, leaf by leaf
clocking blur as heavy fog hides my tears"
Unique and powerful, "clocking blur"! Right now this is my favorite poem.
oh wow...so good. So very very good.
ReplyDeleteThis is sad, beautiful, romantic. I really enjoyed this Grace your words always transport me somewhere I've never been,
ReplyDelete"I drink red wine after dinner to forget the embers in your eyes". Me, too, kiddo. This is so beautiful.
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful poem, tribute - made me remember (as if i ever forget) loved ones i've lost too
ReplyDeleteThe words gently tingles the tongue. Beautiful, serene and full of love.
ReplyDelete'Embers in your eyes'- great! And a great image to go with the piece.
The beginning is so ripe with happiness - it skips along and makes me believe in love. And then... "until we ran out of breath, reasons & time" and the rest is bereft, not bitter. Makes me think of "Love Story".
ReplyDeleteso beautiful and i like the way you have arranged your poem
ReplyDeletei drink red wine after dinner to
ReplyDeleteforget the embers in your eyes... loved this... there's a wonderful aching melancholy to this..
Remembering yet wishing to forget the pain of loving.....deep like the color of the wine in the glass;)
ReplyDeleteSo many great words of romance and then the loss at the end... it's hard to forget. The first part took me away to my own fantasy of beaches and love... great work
ReplyDeleteexotic and amazing as ever Grace.
ReplyDeleteWow this is so vivid intense the imagery an emotion you hooked me an I felt every line
ReplyDeletewow!
ReplyDelete...and though I think we need to remember those unforgettable moments with all melancholic hues...love how you divided word me-mories....thank you, Grace
ReplyDeleteThe detailing infuse so much beauty here. Congo! for being in the top ten of the dverse two years contest. Honour to be in the company of your beautiful verses!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. That shade of blue will be etched on your mind forever along with the coconut palms and wooden huts on the beach.
ReplyDeleteSo romantic. Even though the end was blue. Love this line: i drink red wine after dinner to forget the embers in your eyes
ReplyDeleteSo romantic and sad in the end. Very relatable.
ReplyDeleteLoved this, so intimate with a lingering sadness.
ReplyDeleteGreat write, I know this has touch each reader...
ReplyDelete... and that one shell was certainly a keeper
ReplyDeletememories dyed in sunset and sand - I love that line and how you use the word play in it.
ReplyDeleteAs always, thank you and have a beautiful week!!
love the way you beautifully weave words to evoke
ReplyDeletememories, passions, sensations and emotions into play.
your words leave me with no words of my own.
wala akong masabeh, ;-)
beautiful, beautiful poem, heaven.
a beautiful peoce of tapestry from the lovely images of romantic love, the the 'embers in your eyes' of loss. endearing, warm, and poignant..nice work
ReplyDeletebeautiful work. love this line --> "slowly, the sea is swallowing me-"
ReplyDelete