Are We Strangers Now?

Are we strangers now?

I thought I knew you

once before. I remember 

that kiss, the one that tore my

heart right out of its chest.

Ae we strangers now?

I think I've known you 

twice before. I remember 

the haven we created for 

just us two. 

We could hardly breathe, 

if it weren't for the breeze 

tiptoeing 

through the window.

You took my breath away

and I let you.

That touch, 

the one that 

melted my iced-over 

rivers and ran streams 

down to the warm,

golden shores.

Caressing hands

that turned my

skin to butter.

How I would slip

into the abyss,

but not once 

did I slip through

your fingers. 

What's left, 

when there's

nothing left to say but

...are we strangers now?

Reviews

[Richard🖌]

Gosh, Laura Kate!
You are so young to write with such a depth of maturity in relationships, emotional sensations, and the scintillating pleasures of arousal.
"You took my breath away, and I let you.", "that kiss, the one that tore my heart right out", "the touch that turned my skin to butter."
Your Free Verse skill hits all the sensitive points: The rousing imagery of vivid metaphor, spot-on line-breaks, seamless syntactical flow … eloquently portrayed, and more.
Ya know, Larua Kate?
I was once asked, "Why, Richard, do you keep falling in-love only to have your heart broken?" I replied, "Kenneth, my friend, it is my feeling that to achieve anything you want and feel is worth having, you must do everything you can to get it and succeed, but give-up!"
Yes, it hurts to try and fail, but the true character of an individual is told by their determination and dedication by picking themselves up, dusting-off their bum, and digging right in again … until they get what they want, believe they need, and so passionately desire!"

A great poem, Laura Kate … simply put, "I love it! ⁓ Richard 🍃

[Laura Kate]

Hi Richard, what a lovely review you have left for me!

Thank you in particular for your mention of my free verse and line breaks which I often play around with and wonder if I should give a more traditional structure.

I am so pleased to read your thoughts :)
Laura

[Richard🖌]

Laura,
I believe there is a poetic form that best fits every thought, feeling, emotion, need, and desire.
Free Verse is certainly one of the most flexible of all poetic forms. Most do not realize that Free Verse, as do all poetic forms, have directives to follow, but this is, Obviously, not the case with You. ⁓ Richard 🍂

[JR]

You capture an acute sense of loss of love, and that really resonates with me. "You took my breath away / and I let you"... we always do, it's because we're poets. ;)

[Laura Kate]

Spot on there JR. Thank you for reading!

[Chris Shaw]

Your lines resonate. Many will understand them and feel the change that sadly occurs with some relationships. When something so intoxicating and breathless turns into "Are we strangers now?" There is much hurt there, much pondering to be done and many questions to be asked. How do we go from a to z without even realising what's truly going on? Much to contemplate in this well written and heartfelt poem LauraKate.

Chris

[Laura Kate]

Absolutely, there can be so much left unsaid at times. Thank you for your lovely and understanding review Chris.


Laura.

[emmajoy]

How sad when one has to ask those questions or set such thoughts in public... They might be fictional but even an exposure of such thinking shows doubts, hunches.. whatever. Saying that, dear you, this is a fragile but beautiful set of words, written as if tears pouring down a page. In that, please, please, feel comfort.. your poetry shines. Hugs.

[Laura Kate]

What a lovely, understanding review you have left for me Emma. I appreciate it, thank you.

[emmajoy]

You''re very welcome, always.

[Lea Sheryn]

I can relate. I knew someone very well, lost him for a stupid reason and met him again several years later. Everything was exactly as though we had never parted.

[Laura Kate]

What a lovely story Lea, I'm pleased to hear of your happy reunion. Thank you for reading.

[Lea Sheryn]

You're welcome. I enjoyed reading it.

[R.E. Ray]

Laura, such a simple question, rhetorical perhaps, that captures what we feel when we feel deceived (not necessarily cheated), after making ourselves absolutely vulnerable to someone, sharing hopes, dreams, fears and doubts... and then later a distance exists that no longer allows us to express those things intimately.

"You took my breath away and I let you" is the line that keeps running through my mind, and it speaks to what I said earlier. We give ourselves to someone, and we trust that won't take that "breath" for granted. A moving poem that leaves the heart wanting, not only an answer but love.

[Laura Kate]

You picked up on something really important there, how we feel when we feel deceived but not necessarily cheated. The line can certainly be blurred when two people are not on the same page, or when expectations are different. I really liked what you read into this, you explain it so well.

Thank you for reading and offering your helpful thoughts.
Laura

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this is tough...because she already felt iced over from a past relationship or relationships...and he had melted that ice, but now is making her feel that very cold draft once again...the speaker had thawed...but there is snow on her beach again.
j.

[Laura Kate]

Thank you so much for your insightful review as always J!
Laura

[Laura Kate]

Perhaps she'll just sit on the snowy bench next time, accept it for what it is, with her wellies, and a nice hot cuppa tea ;)