Cigarette Afterglow

Rose flesh
softens the glare
of white sheets.

In the cigarette
afterglow
we are silent.

No words
can transcend
the poetry

our bodies spoke
in the velvet trance
of ecstasy’s oblivion.

I will drink the wine
of our silence
until I am inebriated

with the delusion
a ticking clock isn’t racing
toward goodbye.


©Susie Clevenger 2014





Comments

hyperCRYPTICal said…
Oh I remember these blissful days of yesteryear Susie - my clock is now very much ticking...
Anna :o]
Anonymous said…
The afterglow of love is its own candle, holding out long after the fact. Such painfully careful details here, glowing on, perhaps forever. Loved it ...
LaTonya Baldwin said…
The closing is strong not fleeting at all.
oooh! love the ending of this, Susie! i miss cigarettes....

Happy New Year!
dani
Grace said…
I love the subtle emotional whiplash, specially the ending ~ Lovely one Susie ~
Kathryn Dyche said…
A beautiful write, love the denial of the ticking clock at the end.
Kenia Santos said…
I like it that your writing is so clean that we can be in the moment and nothing can move our attention away from it.

<3
Marlon O. said…
The day is calling out,
and it says:
Stay.

Beautiful poem.
Kerry O'Connor said…
This encapsulates a perfect moment, but the poet in you does not neglect the goodbye, waiting and unavoidable.
Marian said…
wow, almost makes me wanna take up smoking. am i missing something? maybe!
excellent, delicious, Susie.
Sumana Roy said…
love wants to triumph over time...
revelations said…
very tender and sensual but with a little hook at the end... enjoyed it... :)
hedgewitch said…
Everything about this is classic, Susie, and your choice of language to illustrate the age-old conundrum is just flawless.
Unknown said…
"I will drink the wine
of our silence
until I am inebriated"

This is a beautiful set of poetry. WOW...
Sherry Blue Sky said…
A beautiful flight, till the kicker of that clock ticking towards goodbye. A fantastic write!!
Laura said…
Beautiful… love this line especially "I will drink the wine
of our silence
until I am inebriated"
Peggy said…
Nice one. Beauty and wonder and then the kick of reality,
Hannah said…
Ooo...you gather in that cocooned moment of timelessness so well, Susie...great share!
kaykuala said…
a ticking clock isn’t
racing toward goodbye

There are lots to be accomplished and time is a factor. Hopefully one can succeed and survive doing them! Nicely Susie!

Hank


Margaret said…
The beginning is just so delicious and sweet throughout and the ending is quite vulnerable - it speaks to me of the fear of thinking a lover will leave - it doesn't say he will! (makes me think of Bridgette Jones Diaries - where she keeps thinking her lover will leave her (have you seen those movies?)
Aditi said…
Beautiful poem... The last stanza kicked us into a reality...which we often want to forget...
Liz Rice-Sosne said…
There are many beautiful things in this poem. Many! I love that I can see them. Then there is the ending ... so true to love itself. This is a very good poem.
Kay L. Davies said…
Beautifully done, Susie.
Luv, K
scotthastiepoet said…
Hi Susie,

My first time here and this is the one that caught my eye the most - Here you have deftly captured a sweet moment that really resonates in the memory - Loved it! Regards Scott www.scotthastie.com