Down and Away
How soon we lose the scent
of our first love’s
body, that odor of perfume
over sweat and uncertainty
and the overwhelming surge
into what will never again
be new. You shake yourself
back, wondering
if falling stars could choose
to rise again, whether
they would rejoin the firmament
or simply retreat deeper into the
ocean’s black, cooling, sliding
down and away, slipping
free of regret, evading forever
the sun’s long fingers.
“Down and Away” was first published in August 2019 at Trestle Ties. Many thanks to Juleen Eun Sun Johnson and Aaron Schuman for taking this piece.
O at the Edges 
free of regret – a good place to land
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is, indeed, tho I’m not sure I’ll ever truly land there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very thought-provoking!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Lynne.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“sliding
down and away, slipping
free of regret,”
Time changes our view.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Time certainly does, Ali.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a mine of gems. Are the stars free from something, or is regret something redeemable? It’s a beautiful piece of work. Waking from reverie to something that remains asleep.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Rob.
LikeLiked by 1 person