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…
Ah, so many pretty faces at the bottom of so many empty glasses! Sad tale, well told!
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteBTW - Don't work too hard.
My goodness this is good!!
ReplyDeleteWOW! 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.
ReplyDeletegood write indeed. ahhh...I admire your creative vision. this was a fine piece of writing, yes!
ReplyDeleteWhew, some images definitely depend on smoke and mirrors! An evocative write.
ReplyDeleteSuch 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?
ReplyDeleteVividly created! (I like Susan's song suggestion.)
ReplyDelete