Unripe

5/25/08

by katie boyden

a girl wraps herself in sweet somethings ,

cool, foggy air surrounds her in the shapeless space

and claws at the darkness--- her face

reminds me of the time

you flashed me your Jack of Spades

smug

like i wanted it

she sighs and puts the bottle to her lips

carbonation cracks her throat

as she watches the bubbles race towards the surface,

---pulling deeply through her teeth.

you wink and spray whipped cream into your mouth

dizzy you got some nitrous too

didn't you?

you say my hands intoxicate you

I raise them to my face and breathe in the earthy smell of tomato plants

You let me rub the sweet, green scent into your skin.

a girl blows smoke O's

watches the red-orange tip glow brighter as she inhales

a flush of freezing air

makes ripe, fragile buds perk up underneath her shirt.

your mouth is crushed velvet

pours wine in my sheets

that just we can see.

and the sound of my heart pounding the bed frame

is the only thing that can shatter the silence.

Your voice is thick in my throat

and plays loudest in my memory.

a girl jumps, startled
from the sudden sound of a woman's voice from inside

but it's only a loud commercial on TV.

She walks to the ledge and takes a final long drag exhaling into the frozen night

a fresh raindrop mingles with the salty stream on her cheek

she turns to go in

hesitates,

leans over the tomatoes, and inhales.