The Aftermath of a Romantic Act

 

Dust must settle.

Emotions will never exist at fever pitch,

as we can’t bear their intensity.

Life beats you hardest when you are soft,

when you open up and bleed,

when you are so vulnerable as to give

yourself to someone else,

then reality surrounds you.

 

And it can happen seconds after their tears.

After they cry in joy at your words

or your song,

or just your presence.

After fits of passion,

everyone falls back into

the coma of real love.

Everyone will feel trapped,

insecure and bored.

Like a dim lightbulb,

flickering in a dark room,

barely functioning,

but still persisting,

that is love.

 

Love is not natural,

but desire is.

Desire couldn’t feel

more natural.

When I see her

my gut instinct is

to run to her,

to be with her,

to hold her.

I feel so sure.

 

But I know if it became love,

there would be nothing but doubt.

Were you looking at him?

Do you still want to f**k me?

Are we living the lives we wanted?

Is that what real commitment is?

Accepting all this insecurity,

on the raw instinct of passion.

Is that all it is?

 

I guess we can never know love

if we do not commit.

But I’m so scared.

Reviews

[Jon G.]

Hell in a Hip Flask, You had me hooked with the first stanza. Those eight lines could stand on their own and is a fantastic realization of your title. The imagery of dust settling, the calm after the storm, and of being beaten when you are softest, the risk of being vulnerable, was well chosen and will resonate with anyone who has matured to the point where they realize there is more to love than just attraction.

I'm not quite as enthralled with the fourth stanza. The explanation of doubt makes your point but doesn't share that feeling of ambivalence I think you could have if in addition to a list of questions you also described your visceral reaction to them.

"Do you still want f**k me?" Missing a word? The f-bomb threw me off a bit, but totally acceptable... The missing "to" was like a coffee stain on a white dress shirt. I kept staring at it wondering if it was intentional or a typo.

Grappling with the concept of instinctual attraction, intellectual attraction, and the reality of relationships will absolutely resonate for many, myself included. This piece pulls it together well and each time I read it I was happy to find a bit more depth in the words. Well done, and thank you for sharing.

[Hell in a Hip Flask]

Thank you for the detailed review, really appreciate these and good pick on the mistake, it was not intentional. I was a bit unsure about the fourth stanza as well, providing to the reactions to the questions is an interesting way of strengthening it but it may become a bit too wordy, I may just delete it. I'll think about it. Anyhow I'm glad you related to it.

[Kathryn Smith]

This is nothing but trueness! I know this feeling so well. Whenever I meet someone new, I'm always sitting there wondering; "whats going to happen to us?" "How is this going to end?" (Terrible I know.) They say nothing good lasts forever..and when you like someone just the thought of messing up is maddening. And the thought of the spark dying is more than crippling. Love is terrifying because it can give us so much happiness but an equal amount of destruction and treachery. Thankfully my parents have taught me it works sometimes and does not die for some people. Well pinned. You nailed it! Keep writing. Keep living. :)