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K in the Azaleas

by Stephen Ellams


I. The Blood Thickens

Dear K
My blood thickens in the heart of obsession
A past and a present that keeps me imprisoned
I belong behind bars, a cold-worded killer
The barbed metaphor, my choice murder weapon

Plunged into your palm in Plathian fashion
To put you to sleep or awaken your passion
Pomegranate seeds spill from your laughing
Mocking my tears, Persephone has arisen

I want to wrap the night around you, smother your lips
To cease you from tasting another man’s kiss
Pre-Raphaelite still life, flesh can be fickle
Return to me now, all is forgiven

Injustice is served! cries the dupe in the mirror
With the dolorous eyes of Elizabeth Siddal
Shunning the light, as you shine through a prism
Waltzing in a world of desirable women

For my love line is ruptured, yours flows like a river
Into an opulent ocean of every girl wishes
I can’t seduce those stars, with self-esteem waning
And emotion locked inside a protective shell casing

I’m cold to the touch, a ghost for all seasons
Haunted by the hours, short distance between us
Days are destroyed, will to live weakened
I share my morning mirror with Adeline Stephen

II. The Blood Thins

Let all vanities fade with your beautiful gaze
Slow dancing in flames in this bonfire ashtray
Luminous Flora, postcard Primavera
One day I’ll find the grace in my heart to release you
Scatter what remains among Florentine flowers
Fill my pockets with stones and walk into the Arno
Sink under the bliss of the first time we kissed
And with my dying breath I will tell you
I love you

K is for kissing. Hearts never break even


Copyright © 2016 by Stephen Ellams

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