Already There

My Bookend

You stand at the edge
of the place I never show-
that quiet chamber
where my pulse forgets its armor
and my thoughts stop rehearsing
their careful lines.

I didn’t mean to open the door.
It happened the way dusk happens-
slow, then all at once,
and suddenly the room was lit
with the soft fact
you were already there.

There is a version of me
I’ve kept folded like a letter
I never meant to send.
Yet here it is-
creased, trembling,
ink still wet with wanting.

If I hand it to you,
if I let you read the parts
I’ve never spoken aloud,
what will you do
with the weight of that honesty?

Will you hold it gently,
as if it were something living?
Or will you set it down
like a stone you didn’t ask to carry?

I’m not asking for promises.
Only this-
that if you choose to stay
in this unguarded light,
you understand
I didn’t fall open by accident.

Some part of me
was already leaning toward you,
already surrendering
before I knew I’d begun.

Reviews

[PaleWriter]

This is the type of erotically tinged poem every man would love to read and know it was written for him by someone special. Your writing here has a tenderness to every line.

Well done. (I tried to comment as Relic, but the site logs me out each time I click on your page). This is my other unused account. :)

[Curly Grace]

Thank you… that means a lot to hear. I’m glad the tenderness in it reached you. And thank you for going through the trouble to comment I appreciate it.

[Betty Hermelee]

a sensual piece with excellent words that portray love, honesty and perhaps some hidden secrets… soft, descriptive words and images lay here
Warmly, B🌷

[Curly Grace]

Thank you, B. Your kindness means a lot. I’m glad the softer layers spoke to you.

[Betty Hermelee]

You are most welcome!
Warmly, B

[Randall]

I sometimes think how nice it would be to be someones Bookend and receive a poem. A poem of this thought and depth of feeling.
Bookends are needed otherwise, those damm books keep falling over.

Randall...

[Curly Grace]

Well now… You do have a way of making me smile.
And don’t worry... your books aren’t in any danger of falling over. ;)

[Kenneth The Poet]

Great write. I love the last stanza the most.

[Curly Grace]

Thank you, Kenneth… I’m glad the last stanza resonated with you. It felt like the quiet center of the piece.