touches of whiskey
burn down my throat
until the fire inside of me
is consumed whole.
the whiskey
makes the room softer,
you would whisper.
the lights bleed together
until we are nothing
but what the world wanted us to be.
empty, perhaps;
to me,
you shine brighter than any light.
a supernova in the sky –
I wouldn’t see it passing by.
I would be too busy
looking at the residue circling your cup,
the way your eyes flicker,
to the whiskey on your lips.
I wonder
when we will no longer need whiskey
in each other’s company.
when can you look at me,
without that haze veiling
your honey-coated eyes?
the sweetness of your fingers
is cold to the touch.
how long can I drink
until your fingers turn warm
against my skin?
I drink
to see you.
I drink
to feel you.
I drink,
not because I want to,
but because I need you.
you will never look at me.
the whiskey swirls inside of your cup,
ice clinking against the hardened glass.
you will never look at me.
you don’t need to.
you seem miles away –
whiskey coating the tip of your tongue.
I miss the taste of whiskey
and the distinctiveness of you.
it’s addicting,
like the shots I swallow down
every Friday evening.
it’s addicting,
your lukewarm presence
by my side.
I want you.
I want you by my side.
you peer at me
through fluttering eyelashes
mixed with coppers of whiskey,
and ask pleasantries
that we both know are pointless.
you sit beside me
with a glow that shines
brighter than any star
in the solar system.
you are the center
of my universe –
just the two of us,
sitting together in a hopeless crowd.
Hopeless.
I was used to the idea of you,
the knowing feeling deep in my gut
that you will be there for me –
a coexistence,
a mutual agreement;
yet, I sit here on a Friday evening,
whiskey burning my hand,
and you are no longer beside me.
the whiskey,
a comforting presence,
is bitter and empty.
I leave my glass on the bar table,
my fingertips in the form of a lost company.
every day,
I step onto the glass shards of my question and answer.
you are always on my mind –
the beholder that breaks and wields me
all the same.
I wonder how you are doing,
which bed sheets you managed to slither under;
because it’s surely obvious now that
the copper in your eyes was never for me,
but for someone a little more daring,
a little more willing for the beckon and call.
in a solar system so bright and vast,
it only makes sense for me
to lose myself in the orbit of you,
until I am nothing but the stars and sky
of former lovers; of broken hearts;
and of shots of whiskey.
you drink me down until I am swallowed whole.
look me in the eyes and tell me
just how much whiskey you need
to picture me in the light of a past lover.
To summarize this poem with a few short, sweet, and simple words, I would describe it as the following: you drink to forget. I feel as if the poem speaks for itself. Whiskey plays a huge role in this, and how their “lover” constantly drinks whiskey in their presence. The loving relationship the narrator speaks of is obviously one-sided. There is a mutual benefit, friends with benefits type of scenario, but it isn’t love. In the end, the divergence of feelings leaves the narrator all alone as their lover finds solace in another person. To drink to forget: the lover is clearly trying to forget something or someone (and in this case, a past lover and heartbreak is involved).
In relations to me, I was simply inspired by the ideas of heartbreak. I’ve been very into writing about heartbreak as of late (I’m unsure if this should be a sign of sorts towards some heartbreak of my own; but, my heart is fine right now – at least I hope). The potential disaster of heartbreak and the results it’ll have on me, an impulsive, heart-driven, and emotional person, scares me immensely. Perhaps, this’ll be a personal forewarning. I imagined this story in the eyes of an eye-catching blonde man as the lover. Usually, I imagine myself in the poem; yet, this time, I only wrote based on the blurry image I had on a singular character. I felt as if it changed the perception I had on this poem. I would act foolishly, drunk only on the love of another, but never in the presence of alcohol. There’s a clear divergence between myself and the poem, yet the elements of me still remain, even if done unintentionally.
Dear Cindy,
I loved reading your piece, you’re an amazing writer. I’m really surprised by how long you were able to make your poem while still keeping the reader engaged. I was interested the whole time I was reading your poem. I struggle to write long pieces so this definitely was inspiring. I absolutely loved how you carried the idea of alcohol and love throughout your poem and how you were able to relate them back to each other.
I honestly would’t change a single thing about your piece, it was written very well.
Not only did I love your writing, but your overall theme of your blog is so cool. I’m excited to come back to read some more of your pieces and become more inspired.
-Nehchal
Nehchal,
Thank you so much for your comment! I’m very happy that you like my writing! I was afraid that the reader would get bored of my poem due to its length (I always seem to get carried away with poems), but I’m glad that it turned out to be otherwise. Thank you, once again. I hope the inspiration you get from me is good inspiration nonetheless.
Sincerely,
Cindy
Dear Cindy,
This is my first time reading your writing and I must say that I am quite amazed by it! I love the idea of one sided love, as not many people talk about it. I like how you used the idea of to drink to forget as now days in a lot of TV and shows you will see this happening. Although this poem was about heartbreak I really enjoyed reading it.
For improvement I don’t think there is anything I can say, this piece was written to perfection! I hope to read more of your work in the future!
Sincerely,
Karishma
Karishma,
Thank you for commenting! I agree a lot with the idea of TV shows copying the idea of drinking alcohol to cope with heartbreak. I actually got inspired for my poem through the many scenes I’ve read or watched with this cliche. I’ll definitely read your work in the future. Thank you, once again, for the kind words!
Sincerely,
Cindy