Poem by Celine Floyd // Photograph by Sofia Higgins
Poem by Celine Floyd // Photograph by Sofia Higgins
’Twas a damp summer night when I spewed my deepest darkest secrets.
You held my knotted hair,
Washcloth in hand,
As I slurred,
Throwing up words and feelings into an empty toilet bowl,
Insanity slowly enveloping and crowding my mind:
Rewind
// I //
Meeting you was like a comet shower:
Beautiful, chaotic
And all at once.
Magical.
With eyes like a galaxy,
You offered me wine.
“You’re quite refined,”
I teased,
Downing white wine.
‘Let’s unwind’
Eyebrows raised,
That smirk became a lifeline.
// II //
More than anything,
I became your pet;
Running in circles,
Chasing your love on the tip of my tail,
On the tip of your lips.
Don’t taunt me with your lies and blown kisses.
// III //
You’d say home is where the heart is,
As you cut a hole into my heart.
A pretty little home-shaped hole.
// IV //
Decisions are hard to make,
Especially when love’s at stake.
But pull out a knife and fork,
Oh dig in.
Throw some salt —
A dash or a handful —
To add more flavour to my wounds.
Stay or leave.
It’ll hurt just the same.
// V //
Hold me.
Play
a kaleidoscope of amber and gold
little specks of stories untold
hiding in your eyes.
as it unfolds before me,
you ask ever so softly:
“kindly refrain
from scrutinizing the details and pre-tales
i’m about to describe”
‘the past is no game,’
i answered,
stroking your messy blonde hair,
‘nor can it be ignored,
but it won’t hurt you anymore.’
i’ll hold you
and rock you
through the nightmares,
lay a washcloth upon your forehead
to keep the bad-past tsunami at bay.
nights spent screaming, dreaming and sweating.
losing it.
losing your sanity.
every last wisp of it.
i will stay there
i will be by your side
forevermore
all for that kaleidoscope
kaleidoscope of amber and gold.