The sensation of
a fly
on your arm
where the little hairs look like
wheat in the sun
a little fly
puts its tongue
where your lover
put his tongue
where the little hairs look like
sunbathers on a beach.
The sensation of
a breeze
makes the fly depart
and you
stay there til evening
like an unfinished book
that can breathe.
_____
for this.
Ah... what the little hairs look like. This is so wistful, it makes me want to be very still outdoors to notice.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing view you have given us through the eyes of the fly. That last line is stunning!! I love it Shay!
ReplyDeleteI love the little hairs like wheat in the sun. You just keep blowing me away.
ReplyDeleteYour images in this. Sometimes you take my breath away with them. Like a book that can breathe...wow.
ReplyDeleteThe perspective of this poem is so effective, Shay; I love the little hairs ‘like wheat in the sun’ and ‘sunbathers on a beach’. The final stanza is stunning.
ReplyDeletePerfect, from the fly to the hair to the memory...
ReplyDeleteSuch an amazing zooming effect in these lines, Shay. The poet's eye sees flies and all. The second stanza gave me quite a pause - great juxtaposition.
ReplyDelete"The sensation of
ReplyDeletea fly
on your arm"
Oh, girl. You know exactly what this has me picturing.
That part about the sunbathers is GENIUS!
For rhythm/ease of reading only, I wanted the last line to say "can't" instead of "can."
I cannot let go of that last image. Can it breathe now because it's lying open, like she is, also sunbathing? Do books hold their breath when they're closed? If they go unread for too long, do they die? Is this really about how we don't breathe when we're in a relationship because we're trying to do/be this or that --- so they don't fly away? But when we do, we can go back to being ourselves --- a book in progress.
This is what I love about great poetry --- it keeps your brain busy long after you've read it.
Sitting here, actually recalling how the lighting of a fly on my arm felt. Magic.
ReplyDeleteOh, hell, this is good.
ReplyDelete...like an unfinished book.... So good!
ReplyDeleteOh that ending...You always pull me in with your words. I could feel the hair on my arms rise as I was reading it.
ReplyDelete