POETRY

September

GiaB prompt #22 intimacy

Each touch holds the memory of a thousand more Each breath has been shared, your mouth to mine I’ve seen your body through a microscope I’ve traced every spot and every line.

When we share a glance and our faces soften When a word or a phrase makes us laugh Only we know the moments we’ve filled so often Only they hold the joys of our past.

Do you remember how we sat in my car at night? Do you know where we parked in the forest? We sat naked and talked until midnight; We made love with a thunderous roar.

Every kiss stores the energy of those youthful sparks Every stroke reveals embers that still glow Your sigh has the power to melt my heart Your smile lights a room and casts shadows.

And now our bodies are like a map of that time And our passions, creased landmarks upon it Seldom do we travel to those tropical climes Seldom stray from our comfortable habits.

When I hold your hand, I still know the way. When you brush my hair, I remember That passionate path we traveled in May That led to this, lovely September.

Thank you Victor Sarkin for this prompt. I must admit, at first I thought it was strictly a young person’s kinda thing. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized what my wife and I share now, after 46 years of marriage, is a special kind of intimacy — one born of familiarity, but also unfading memories of that other kind. Life is long — enjoy the hell out of it!

Jim Dutton © 2021