The Last Stanza
afterwards
on your palms
and soles of feet
on your back
and white of thighs
in your hair
and down your spine
i carve with my tongue:
there will be no regrets today.
with one smooth motion,
we are children no more
with one painful tear,
we are innocent no more.
on your breath
and across your jaw
on your lips
and bridge of nose
in your pupils
and down your chest
i make out the words:
there will be no regrets today.
with the coming light,
we wake from sleep,
with tired hearts and tired minds,
we walk apart unwilling.
but,
in your eyes
and your open palm,
on every exhale
and every footstep away,
on every half-smile,
and your crinkled brow,
i read:
there are nothing but regrets today.
Pranaya SJB Rana
Pranaya SJB Rana edits for V.E.N.T.! He shares a fatalistic belief in the power of art and communication, which brought him to V.E.N.T.! in the first place. He likes arguments, discussions and outright disagreements. He is a strong believer in the 'think before you speak' adage. He believes that the last decent human being was Kurt Vonnegut, but he has always been prone to hyperbole. He writes fiction and makes films. Or so it goes. Contact him at pranaya AT ventzine DOT com.
this is simply beautiful.