Wednesday 22 March 2017

POETS UNITED - MIRROR

“When the sun has set, no candle can replace it.” ― George R.R. Martin

I am still away on a work trip and will not get back home until the end of the week. Still, while in a hotel room, after a hard day, one does get a little window of opportunity to catch up with one’s  emails and participate in the Poets United Mid-Week Motif, which is tittled : “Mirror”.

Smoke and Mirrors

 
I drink, alone,
And smoke endless cigarettes;
A chain of smoke binding me
To your image,
On the mirror of my memory.

I smoke, solitary,
And drink hard liquor,
Swimming to you
As you recede, fast sinking
To the bottom of my glass.

And as the butts accumulate,
In the ashtray of your remembrance,
I resolve to leave you be;
Forget your face,
Burn your impression…

And the bottle empties,
As I try to drown your recollection
In my glass; but as quickly as I fill it
I empty it, encountering you
Ever present, at its bottom.

I formed you out of smoke,
A virtual image of perfection
In the depths of a magic mirror,
Manufactured by my need to love;
And all I’ve ever had was an illusion
Made of smoke and tricks of light, reflected…

8 comments:

  1. Ah, so many pretty faces at the bottom of so many empty glasses! Sad tale, well told!

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  2. I enjoyed reading this Nicholas. Though there are so many poems about heartbreak, this one is unique. I could feel the pain in this persons heart, the desire to forget. Very well written.
    BTW - Don't work too hard.

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  3. WOW! This poem resonates with me - the illusion of love we create out of our need to love, then we are left with the dregs of memory. I am most struck by her image sinking to the bottom of the glass, and to the "ashtray of your memory". A fantastic write. Hotel rooms can sometimes be a great place for remembering.

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  4. good write indeed. ahhh...I admire your creative vision. this was a fine piece of writing, yes!

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  5. Whew, some images definitely depend on smoke and mirrors! An evocative write.

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  6. Such loneliness exaggerated by the illusion which is smoke & mirrors and drink. Why do we do this to ourselves? Well captured. Maybe it's a country western song?

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  7. Vividly created! (I like Susan's song suggestion.)

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