I Breathe You Out

by Chris Patterson

Letting go,
the fog of longing
clouding up the
reflective moments
only we have known.

With the soft cloth of
memory, I polish our joy.
Happiness shining brightly
as it is put away in love's
velvet lined box.
These are not for everyday use.

I breathe you in.
A scent not so domestic,
it would only be noticed
when it's gone.
Like a wave of jasmine,
it sends me reeling to
spring evenings past.

The nature of this flower
cannot be guided,
gently or otherwise
into a year round bloom.

I hold you in my breath.
At that connection of
incidental touch,
electrified desire, sending
jolts to my heart and hands.

Familiar are the paths
across your body.
Not worn.
Or taken
without thought by
everyday travels.
The detail of each curve
sharpens my tongue until
my exclamations drip
with deep sincerity.

The Author

I was born in Elmira, New York and moved around to all the hot spots of the automobile industry growing up. After graduating from Michigan State University, I worked in Chicago as a writer/producer and director of local television and radio commercials and marketing videos for local companies. In 1995, I opened a bagel shop in Hilton Head, South Carolina. When that closed in 1999, I went to work for Walt Disney Company. I currently am a training facilitator at the Disney Reservation Center. I enjoy writing poetry, especially for my family and friends. You can find me on Live Journal as cap_killer.