Thursday, August 26, 2010
Don't Wait Up For Me
Her chest slowly rises and falls, tucked underneath a thick quilt and sheets with her eyelids heavy in sleep. A lamp illuminates the room in a soft yellow glow from the nightstand, sitting flush with the bed. A novel is perched on her abdomen, open but face down; her fingers loosely grasped the edges.
Carpet-muffled footsteps enter slowly through the shadowed doorway. He steps into the light and his ring glimmers subtly as he advances to her bedside. He smiles sadly, crow’s feet branching from the corners of his eyes as he delicately pulls the book from her hands, closes it and sets it quietly on the table. It was sweet of her to try and wait up for him, he thought, but tonight it was better that she hadn't been able to stay awake.
He gazes at her face and sighs melancholically. Ghosting a hand lightly over her cheek, he bends down and kisses her forehead tenderly. He whispers that he's sorry he has to leave, but it's for the best; that he'll miss her so much and that he loves her and will continue to no matter how much distance is between them. His eyes linger on her eyelashes, cheeks, and lips; every inch of her face before he tears his gaze away and turns the bedside lamp off with a click. He walks out the door and pauses momentarily at the frame of it, his hand resting on the faded wood as he contemplates again what he's about to do.
He looks back at her shadowed figure. She rolls over, mumbling something before falling still again.
He sighs, his shoulders sagging forward. He has to force himself to turn away before he can pick up the bag he packed and walk out the door.
Closing it behind him silently, he disappears into the night.
Carpet-muffled footsteps enter slowly through the shadowed doorway. He steps into the light and his ring glimmers subtly as he advances to her bedside. He smiles sadly, crow’s feet branching from the corners of his eyes as he delicately pulls the book from her hands, closes it and sets it quietly on the table. It was sweet of her to try and wait up for him, he thought, but tonight it was better that she hadn't been able to stay awake.
He gazes at her face and sighs melancholically. Ghosting a hand lightly over her cheek, he bends down and kisses her forehead tenderly. He whispers that he's sorry he has to leave, but it's for the best; that he'll miss her so much and that he loves her and will continue to no matter how much distance is between them. His eyes linger on her eyelashes, cheeks, and lips; every inch of her face before he tears his gaze away and turns the bedside lamp off with a click. He walks out the door and pauses momentarily at the frame of it, his hand resting on the faded wood as he contemplates again what he's about to do.
He looks back at her shadowed figure. She rolls over, mumbling something before falling still again.
He sighs, his shoulders sagging forward. He has to force himself to turn away before he can pick up the bag he packed and walk out the door.
Closing it behind him silently, he disappears into the night.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Scissors
He slid a thin, rolled white cylinder out of his pocket and flicked his thumb over the lighter. It ficked metallically before a flame ignited, dancing red and orange in the reflection of his aviators. She scowled and crossed her arms, turning away from him.
He took a long drag, his chest rising slowly before exhaling wispy gray smoke through his nose and mouth in almost what seemed like a long sigh of relief. Holding the lit cigarette between his pointer- and middle fingers, he tipped his head in her direction and quirked an eyebrow. She couldn’t tell where his gaze was through the shields of the lenses concealing his eyes, but she knew he was looking at her. She could feel it.
“What? Something bothering you?” He asked smoothly, inhaling through the red-tipped tube again. He expelled the smoke into the air and it dissipated in the cool night breeze. “Yes. Something’s bothering me.” She huffed and wrapped the jacket tighter around her torso, shoving her hands into the deep pockets.
“Care to elaborate?” His tone was calm, languid even. She envied him for it. But it only irritated her more.
“Care to guess?” She retorted sharply. She kept her gaze low and away from his face, away from his entire body. She heard him take another slow drag.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” He prodded gently, setting a hand on her shoulder to turn her to look at him. To anyone else who’d do that, she’d shrug off their hand, smack it away, or bite it. But he was different. She let him touch her, even though the effort to not do anything made her grind her teeth together.
She looked up at him and was disoriented when she found his soft blue-green eyes instead of those mirrored lenses peering at her. Blinking, surprised, she looked away for a second before grasping her bearings. She had almost forgotten why she was frustrated with him when he sucked in more of that sick, noxious tobacco. Her anger kicked back in full force.
She glared at him.
“Why do you smoke those things? You know it’ll kill you. You know I hate the smell and your addiction. Why don’t you stop?” She crossed her arms and looked up at him sternly.
He looked at her, blinked, and looked up into the sky thoughtfully. He took another drag and respired the smoke straight up to the stars. Sliding a hand into his black skinny-jeaned pocket, he sighed leisurely like he had all the time in the world to answer her.
“You don’t understand this addiction.” He whispered to the air. Taking in another mouthful of tobacco fumes, he exhaled them through his nose before continuing. “It’s got me on a leash, on a chain that takes a lot of strength to break free from. I could do it if I really had the motive to…but it makes me feel too good to give up.” Here, he turned to her and gazed into her eyes. “I know you don’t like it. I know you hate it and I’m sorry. I want to be able to stop, but…I can’t. Maybe one day I’ll summon up enough courage to finally quit.” He turned away from her and lodged the cigarette cozily between his thin lips. He put his other hand in his pocket, his posture slouching even worse as he leaned back against the railing.
I’ll give you motive to quit…
She rummaged around in her own pockets for something, a certain thing an idea had just sparked. Her fingers rubbed against the cold metal and plastic and she grasped it in her palm. Swiftly pulling it out of concealment, she snipped once, chopping off the end of his cigarette. He blinked down, confused, and extracted the stub that was left of the cig from between his lips.
“What did you-?” He stared at her incredulously. His eyebrow quirked to a great height and she almost laughed in dark satisfaction. “How did you-?” Disbelief crossed over his lips.
Smirking, she slipped the blades back into her pocket and turned to walk away, but paused to look back over her shoulder as if she had suddenly remembered something. “You better quit soon or I’ll keep doing that.”
She sauntered away, leaving him to stare after her, perplexed.
She continued to smirk.
He took a long drag, his chest rising slowly before exhaling wispy gray smoke through his nose and mouth in almost what seemed like a long sigh of relief. Holding the lit cigarette between his pointer- and middle fingers, he tipped his head in her direction and quirked an eyebrow. She couldn’t tell where his gaze was through the shields of the lenses concealing his eyes, but she knew he was looking at her. She could feel it.
“What? Something bothering you?” He asked smoothly, inhaling through the red-tipped tube again. He expelled the smoke into the air and it dissipated in the cool night breeze. “Yes. Something’s bothering me.” She huffed and wrapped the jacket tighter around her torso, shoving her hands into the deep pockets.
“Care to elaborate?” His tone was calm, languid even. She envied him for it. But it only irritated her more.
“Care to guess?” She retorted sharply. She kept her gaze low and away from his face, away from his entire body. She heard him take another slow drag.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” He prodded gently, setting a hand on her shoulder to turn her to look at him. To anyone else who’d do that, she’d shrug off their hand, smack it away, or bite it. But he was different. She let him touch her, even though the effort to not do anything made her grind her teeth together.
She looked up at him and was disoriented when she found his soft blue-green eyes instead of those mirrored lenses peering at her. Blinking, surprised, she looked away for a second before grasping her bearings. She had almost forgotten why she was frustrated with him when he sucked in more of that sick, noxious tobacco. Her anger kicked back in full force.
She glared at him.
“Why do you smoke those things? You know it’ll kill you. You know I hate the smell and your addiction. Why don’t you stop?” She crossed her arms and looked up at him sternly.
He looked at her, blinked, and looked up into the sky thoughtfully. He took another drag and respired the smoke straight up to the stars. Sliding a hand into his black skinny-jeaned pocket, he sighed leisurely like he had all the time in the world to answer her.
“You don’t understand this addiction.” He whispered to the air. Taking in another mouthful of tobacco fumes, he exhaled them through his nose before continuing. “It’s got me on a leash, on a chain that takes a lot of strength to break free from. I could do it if I really had the motive to…but it makes me feel too good to give up.” Here, he turned to her and gazed into her eyes. “I know you don’t like it. I know you hate it and I’m sorry. I want to be able to stop, but…I can’t. Maybe one day I’ll summon up enough courage to finally quit.” He turned away from her and lodged the cigarette cozily between his thin lips. He put his other hand in his pocket, his posture slouching even worse as he leaned back against the railing.
I’ll give you motive to quit…
She rummaged around in her own pockets for something, a certain thing an idea had just sparked. Her fingers rubbed against the cold metal and plastic and she grasped it in her palm. Swiftly pulling it out of concealment, she snipped once, chopping off the end of his cigarette. He blinked down, confused, and extracted the stub that was left of the cig from between his lips.
“What did you-?” He stared at her incredulously. His eyebrow quirked to a great height and she almost laughed in dark satisfaction. “How did you-?” Disbelief crossed over his lips.
Smirking, she slipped the blades back into her pocket and turned to walk away, but paused to look back over her shoulder as if she had suddenly remembered something. “You better quit soon or I’ll keep doing that.”
She sauntered away, leaving him to stare after her, perplexed.
She continued to smirk.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Food for Thought
I'm still not sure what inspired all this to come together, but here it is. It's sort of titled "Peace," but that's just the prototype name.
Think what you want. I'm still not sure what I think of it, myself.
Love,
Vicki
---------------
Pavement melts into brick
red swallowing the streets
smelling of must and vanilla and old vintage clothing kept in the closet too long.
Prices tag cloth and skin
How much are you worth
it sickens me the heights these numbers take.
You, with your closed emotions
I want openness, you want to leave
Don’t leave, don’t disappear without words
Say something, say something
Whisper me the secrets of the earth
I just want peace.
Think what you want. I'm still not sure what I think of it, myself.
Love,
Vicki
---------------
Pavement melts into brick
red swallowing the streets
smelling of must and vanilla and old vintage clothing kept in the closet too long.
Prices tag cloth and skin
How much are you worth
it sickens me the heights these numbers take.
You, with your closed emotions
I want openness, you want to leave
Don’t leave, don’t disappear without words
Say something, say something
Whisper me the secrets of the earth
I just want peace.
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