Quiet Letter

It hurts because it mattered. ~ John Green

I penciled you into my life,

keeping the best of you

and erasing the worst of you,

overlooking the rib

protruding from my side.

 

Foolish me!

I should have taken notes.

Instead, I wrote you

a love song,

slipping it under your tongue

as I kissed you.

 

You rolled it around,

liked the beat of it,

the heat of it,

and watched me

smolder and burn.

 

I painted my hips

with honey

and left traces

in other places

for you to find.

 

You carved a relief

out of my beating heart

until it solidified

in the pouring rain

and was struck by lightning

and a fabled glow

pulsed into twilight.

 

I was simple and small,

a country girl

in your big world,

a coin in the pocket

of a spendthrift talker

who said so much

of nothing.

 

Once upon a time,

I believed in you,

planted all

my hopes and dreams

in you;

but the living

cannot go on living

in the dead.

 

I penciled you into my life;

but the lead turned into ink

and seeped out of my bones,

rising like a corpse

from my grave past

into the tip of my pen.

 

The ghost of you

haunts me,

calling my name;

and I bury you again

in a quiet letter,

a letter to the dead

and done.

Neither of us won.

The end.

Author's Note

Reviews

[emmajoygreen]

Linda, this poem is a pure and new art-form mixed with words rarely expressed so emotionally yet in parts, near defiantly. This is what pain and desperation does for a being who is lost, fragile and more.. far more

'Foolish me!
I should have taken notes.
Instead, I wrote you
a love song
slipping it under your tongue
as I kissed you.#

How you longed to please, what passion. People have asked, what makes lost love the hardest to bear? The answer has to be, 'Because i wanted to keep it forever.. but.. it fled to the mountains or.. wherever.

Your final line must have hard to read

[Betty Hermelee]

A mixed message letter to a loved one, now gone…..your words portray a somewhat struggling relationship….but the words are so poetic and soft…. As you say “ pencilled in”…… but then turned to ink….
A beautiful letter
Warmly
B.

[Bhuyanshi Talukdar]

I read your poem and was struck by the powerful imagery and raw emotion that you conveyed. Your words capture the experience of loving someone deeply, even when they don't deserve it, and the pain of realizing that the relationship is over. I appreciated the way you used metaphors and vivid descriptions to create a sense of atmosphere and mood.

Your poem also touched on some important themes, such as the struggle to let go of the past and the difficulty of moving on from a relationship that has ended. I felt a sense of empathy for the speaker in your poem, and I appreciated the way you explored these complex emotions with honesty and sensitivity.

Overall, I thought your poem was beautifully written and deeply moving. Your words capture the essence of what it means to love and to lose, and they offer a poignant reminder of the importance of cherishing the people and experiences that matter most to us. Thank you for sharing your work with the world, and I look forward to reading more of your poetry in the future.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you for such a beautifully eloquent and insightful review. I really appreciate you.

[Sami Khalil]

Wow! This was intense and powerful; the outpouring of emotions is highly evident. A love story that went awry. Very personal and touching.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, Sami.

[Sami Khalil]

You are welcome Linda!

[willweb]

If only it were that easy, to write about the past, place it in an envelope and slip it into the back of an old shoe box and hide it at the back of the closet, then we would all be poets. Sadly it is not that simple but hopefully writing it out can make it easier to deal with. Such a painful and heartbreaking poem. Though, beautifully written.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you so much.