"the poem that was yours"

"the poem that was yours"
written after a beer and a long day by jake kilroy.

i wrote you a poem that read
as ancient as a cave painting,
as cinematic as a tree carving,
as true as blood itself.

it was a poem you breathed in the long baths
you wish were of milk and rose pedals,
like that of a debutante before she's thrown
to the wolves posing as lofty bachelors with gin.

i wanted the words to coo from your lips
like a song that paraded around drunk
in a nightclub years ago, back when the notes were fresh.
it was a sunset bundled up and packed in a suitcase,
only used whenever we visited your folks in the country.
it was an unexpected laugh born to a bad night of miserable drinking.
it was the man who woke up next you fully dressed for once.
it was the diary that spoke back.
it was the pet that didn't die.
it was the mercy you asked for.
it was the control you wanted.
it was the love you never thought real.
it was everything you've always carried with you.

it was the baggage from past relationships, thrown out the window.
it was the dreams you whispered to a pillow, well within your reach.
it was several cups of coffee, it was sunday morning papers,
it was a warm bed in winter, it was a river dip in summer.
it was a painting you once saw but could never remember the name
until it was given to you one valentine's day by a man full of surprises.
it was white linen, red lips, blue water, green ferns, yellow sun.
it was basic, it was primary, it was all that couldn't be put into words
until now.

now.
now it comes in deep, sweeping, glorious hallelujahs,
flourishing within you like a church crowd watching god do charity,
nourishing you like paint on a canvas, with arms pure and adored.
what more could you want than this poem?
well...how about another?