I watched her gently pull a camel non-filter out of a half empty pack as if she was an archaeologist, uncovering some ancient relic to be viewed by mankind for the first time in millennia.
Delicately placed it between clenched front teeth and grinned as I leaned forward with my lighter.
She leaned back away from the flame, paused, and said with a gleam in her eye,
“lets just burn the whole fucking thing”, one eyebrow slightly raised in a challenging manner
“what,” I said, “this bar?”
She leaned forward again, kissed her cigarette to the flame I held never breaking eye contact, inhaled, took an infinite second to savor it, and shook her head, wild mane of brunette hair sweeping over her shoulders as she exhaled.
“all of it,” she said, “you, me, us, the system, all of it”
I smiled back slightly, quietly wishing it was the bar she wished to engulf in her fire.
The ease with which all of this alcohol would ignite and spread made it an acceptable thought process, something within my realm of possibility.
We were silent for a few thoughtful drags of our cigarettes, my free hand gently massaging her stocking covered thigh, sliding under the hem of her skirt.
I suppose it was too late to turn back.
Yes, we were already prisoners of this world… but here, with only us in this closed bar, we were defying labels, redefining intimacy, love, passion, and comfort without conscious attention to our actions and repercussions.
But I never thought myself capable of destroying these socially cemented notions that chart our course in the world. I only checked them like a jacket at the door when we stole time alone here, never forgetting to collect them again as I left.
Our cigarettes finished, she stood, stepped over and pressed her body into mine, seeing if the friction of our heat could melt us, could spark raging infernos that would reduce society around us to ash,
and her lips gently caressed my neck as she whispered,
“this is whats real, and it can never be burned or destroyed”
And I watched her saunter out the door, back into the world, no baggage of labels to pick up as she set off to set the world ablaze.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
The imagery is wonderful, there is an oh-so subtle build up that works so well and the tone only enhances it. "Kissed her cigarette to the flame" wow that's lovely. and the first stanza is incredible. Though I would like to know more about the social norms you are eschewing, what is that enigma? In what way are these things being redefined? I think the ending could be stronger too. Really very beautiful.
ReplyDelete