Cold turkey

even though you

did nothing more

than show me

something I

couldn’t have

and then leave

– as I stood there

like an addict

without a fix

too suddenly –

I can still

remember

how you and I

used to be:

liquid sunshine,

lightning dreams

surprise flowers,

smiles and screams

now I know there

is such a thing as

too much love

Lost in space

Sade on the radio

rain on the roof

you far away

from me

(your space

is empty

and so

am I)

Lack thereof

your love –

or lack thereof –

is a bitter pill

to swallow,

when I’ve been

pulverised by

too much of

your loving

before

Hollow

I have now begun to master

The art of using chopsticks

And forgetting you

This one bites

You took it all –

You never said no

Not once

You were never

One to lose out on

A good offer

Now don’t blame me

When you’re drawn back

To dance on fire

I always did burn up

And rise again and again

From the flames

So you got burned

This time; I’m never the same

Person twice

A roll

Of the dice; this one

Bites

slow burn I

I don’t know

What it is

But I know

How it tastes

How it feels

The abrasion

Of rock salt

On the tongue

The burn of chillie

Around the lips

Where you were

And now you are not

And yet you are

That vinegar

Aftertaste

Of bitterness,

Almost regret

On the palate,

Behind the eyes

And in the heart

Waterfall

It was the quiet

That mostly did it

The not knowing from

All I knew before

All I was told before

Words running into each other

Where in between

You hid the truth

In small stolen silences –

Barely noticeable

Except in hindsight –

Amid the rapid relay of

Everyday things

I should have known

Your word waterfall

Was crashing down

On someone else

When you fell silent

Explosion

Your kiss

Is an explosion

In my mouth

A gunshot;

A too-loud symphony

Endless cacophony

In the head

This slow and steady

Drowning

Who else

Do you kiss?

Surely you always

Kiss like this?

They must feel

The same aching

Explosion of fireworks

This soothing slow

Burning too

The same helpless

Breathless, witless

Sensation

From you

This kiss

I feel the thrill

Of this kiss

Wearing off

As I wonder

Who else

You kiss

Like this

15

In 15 seconds: you can fall in love

Or gulp down a hot cup of tea and burn

Your mouth in the process; or write a poem

In 15 minutes: make a salad or consult a doctor

Or even have a tooth removed; or slowly run a mile

In 15 hours: plan and throw a party; or edit a newspaper

Or start and finish reading a big, fat, satisfying book in bed

In 15 days: learn to swim, with two-hour classes on a daily basis

Or explore a country, discover things and learn a bit of the language

In 15 months: watch a little baby slowly grow, learn to walk well alone

In 15 years: finally realise that some things will take much longer to forget

Spoilsport

Everybody wants something

And it’s only a matter of time

Until you figure out the price

And if you are willing to pay

But what I want has no price

And so you simply won’t play

Hate

I hate

Everyone

You love

Thief

Where the heart

Used to be

Is now hollow

And home is

Slowly becoming

Where you are

Give it back

My heart

Is mine,

Thief.

What is yours is mine

You of all people

Knowing me so well

Should have realised

I would object

To your so easily

Sharing yourself.

Happy Valentine's Day!

On Valentine’s Day
I got a cold –
I would have liked
Some warmth instead.

Rejection

I’m not going

Anywhere with you –

Unless I’m in my coffin,

Going to the grave.

Hearts

There was a time I would

Draw hearts – little red ones

With shadows and a crooked

Hash sign on the top right –

And in those long-gone days

You too would draw hearts –

With a black outline and

Every little space within

Filled with bright red ink

The power of love

Never underestimate the power of love

To devastate, destroy, decimate, diminish,

Destabilise, defeat and leave you defenceless.

Dare

When you said

That I should try you now

I should have cashed in on that offer

Valentine’s Day

This Valentine’s Day

Let’s make translucent paper hearts

And hang them about the place

Let’s bake little heart-shaped cookies

And put neon icing on them

Let’s play that old cassette you gave me

And dance lest the shadows descend

Let’s unfurl a big bright red umbrella

And walk hand in hand in the rain

And maybe, just maybe, I will forget

That long-gone Valentine’s Day

Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to replace

Those memories with these instead

Loss is subjective

When someone

Who has lost something

Shares their grief with

Someone who never had it:

What does the latter

Say to the former?

And which one

Do you pity more?

1996

Sixteen years

Without one who was

Once yours;

Time does not stretch

Or ease, it is compact;

Still grief.

(For the victims of the 1996 Central Bank bomb blast, which took 41 lives and shattered many more.)