Laila

A faint smell of her perfume upon my skin
and maybe a few broken strands of hair,

A ruffled bed
And some tell-tale traces
Of red (smudged lipstick?)
on a silky pillow

Diffusing outlines of intertwined figures
Dance in my mind

Only I am in the room now
As a lonely window gazes defiantly
at a brave new world outside

Is that her breathing, singing softly
in the silence?

Listen

No

Just some intoxicated leaves
Swaying in a gentle breeze

Is that her chest, rising and falling,

Or just some shadows

Celebrating the coming of a new year?


The rising sun's soothing rays
Tread lightly on my flesh
where her burning touch still lingers

I dare not speak

Lest her taste be lost from my mouth

Wait!

I think I hear her footsteps
Each placed gingerly
Barely touching the cold floor

She approaches ...

Her guardsmen are scented waves of wispy silk

She flows under a door

And spreads like a cloud on this
parched land of drought

Condensing

On my aching flesh

Raining

On my burning flesh

Melting

Igniting

On my burning flesh ...

Slowly the wind settles down and she rises


s e p a r a t e s


Her scent dissolved in my last painful exhale

Again

It is the uncertain healing fingers of light

And the shadows reappear

Just a little bit more stunted

The wind wakes up

A little bit colder

The pain resurges

More stinging than before

The leaves outside are watching me intently

I see the window blink

Or is it the heart of a newborn

Skipping a beat somewhere in anticipation


Oh Laila


Is there a cloud like you anywhere?