melancholy

About The People Who Come Into Our Lives At The Wrong Time

Artwork: Ron Hicks - A stolen kiss

I’m leaving soon.
A forewarning to keep your distance,
to stay at arm’s length,
to allow me to remain untouched and unbroken.
It will be easier this way,
or so I thought.

But you came at me with those green eyes
and when you smiled I believed –
Hey, this might turn out alright.

Suddenly distance was the inches between our sleeping bodies.
Arm’s length was inconceivable, because how could we ever be that far apart when we tangled ourselves up so tightly?
And oh, did you touch me.
I was ignited by your roving lips,
only to be quenched
by the shivers you sent down my spine,
caressing me softly
in the breaking dawn.

We pretended we had forever.
I told you to stop smoking, you always tried to convince me to start.
“Only when I’m drunk,” I would say.
You would chuckle and tell me I was cute,
all bubbly and cheerful.
Little did you know
I hadn’t felt that way in what seemed like years,
that you brought me out from under a dark cloud,
had watered me and cared for me and allowed me to feel the sun again.
But I would just smirk and say,
“I guess I like sex.”

So the time came.

I read that message as I took off on that plane.
You’ll do great, I’ll see you soon.
But six months isn’t soon when I count the hours I’m not with you.

And I’m in this place and it’s amazing, more than I could ever ask for and completely,
overwhelmingly beautiful.
But you’re not here to share it with me.

My friends tell me I’ll forget about it, that I should be happy.
And I am;
but I’m without.
What do they know anyway?

I want to laugh in your arms as you try to tickle me,
to play along with your stupid jokes in hopes that you’ll flash me that grin I love.
To tell you that
you are enough.
Stop pretending like you’re a curse.
You are a blessing.

I’m not saying I’m in love,
but I’m not discounting it as lust.
I’m in a poorly timed like.
From 4172 miles away.

And so you’re giving me what I wanted.
Isn’t that the greatest part of it all?
Distance became worlds away instead of across town,
arm’s length became the dreams of you pulling me back down into bed, the room flooded with the morning light as if you needed me to just lay with you for a little while longer.

I want to be the girl who came back at the right time.

—

Submitted to Artparasites by Alex

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