His body sinks to the depths
of fading thoughts, returning, shifting
sand-dune visions.
She
bathes in the trickle of letters escaping burnt lips
like when she ***** in the moonlight
adrift his month-long lunar withdrawal
-or when she lets the breeze hit her
to erase the thunder.
She
traces his words with her heart
following lines on a crumbling map
-callused fingertip rubbing against
yellow paper
as once he would trace a corpse’s veins.
Aubergine voice then seeps through pores
into her vacuous chest
-prying open
bleeding heart
heart which hides in a corner
of her quiet brain
brain that heals him from memories
of immortalized hollow of her necks against
ghostly wrists
memories burning
worse than fire.
Together they lie in the dark amidst
deserts of emotions,
pools of memories,
rivers of unshed tears,
-daylight drowsily approaching
to chase away
lingering dreams.
I wrote this for my Literature class as part of an analysis of The English Patient, a novel by Michael Ondaatje. The purpose was to mimic the dream-like atmosphere established by the relationship of two of the main characters, both suffering from PTSD symptoms. Haven't got a title and I'm open to ideas! Enjoy x