leather jacket
green eyes
Love
raining endless rain
there was no one
cautious, I loved it
The collar of the boy's jacket
six years now
I can love
no longer do I have to think
beautiful light
loved like mine
held himself stiffly hands curled tight
Boy asked timidly
"Have you ever fallen in love"
he turned away for the first time
"Not quite yet"
"Well well well
I love you"
He said
the door closed behind him
(The Ballas of the Sad Cafe and Collected Short Stories, Carson McCullers)
I'm often told, "You must be so cold," when someone sees me, or "How are you not sweating in that?" I don't feel cold; I feel ashamed. It's as if I'm hiding the parts of myself that I can't fix when they ask how I'm not hot out in the warm sun.
The Need
The want
The feel of it all
My brain fights with my heart like two strays
To push yourself into nothing
"You need to be the best"
Over and over till I give in
Study study study
My little girl's body ran after wild animals, not caring about if I had to look cool or if I got all sweaty. Now I check my hair before going out and make sure I spray my perfume too many times to hide the smell of sweat or odor.
Comments
This comes together so well, almost like the words were cryptically but meaningfully written rather than chosen and pieced together. You clearly have a knack for blackout poetry, and I hope you keep experimenting with it!
As an aside, The Ballad of the Sad Cafe is one of my very favorite story collections. I first read it years ago after The Member of the Wedding, but it's probably time I sit down with it again! On my vintage edition is a woman with a devilish imp sitting on her shoulder; it's the only image I've ever truly considered getting a tattoo of. I've been trying to hunt down the artist for years, which isn't anywhere on the copyright page. Does your edition look like this too?: logan.shopopenbooks.com/product/130032/Ballad-Of-The-Sad-Cafe
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