Settling For Substitution

I've been reading fiction novels
Hoping to catch you between chapters.
Pasting your face on main characters
Who conquer all with love.

When the unexpected lovers mouths meet
I try to taste the emotionally blurred words
Try to visualize the page changing colors
Try to tear myself to the next paragraph
When their eyes meet with burning lust
I try to feel the pages thudding rapidly
Try to hear the deafening silence
Try to push past the plot to get to you

I've been reading fiction novels
Trying to catch you between chapters
But I keep running into the end.

Reviews

[R.E. Ray]

Your poem speaks to why we read fiction novels. We want a life that doesn't exist, one we see better than our own (or one that we see worse than our own, and it makes us feel better about our life).

Isn't it fascinating how every reader sees characters and scenes differently? Even if the writer mentions a color or aroma or texture, we make it our own, often what we want, especially if it's a lover. Of course, as you've captured in this poem, all novels have an end (like relationships), and we're often left unfulfilled. Yet, we keep reading. I think that's called hope.

[Sarah Jane]

Yes yes yes. You have explained it perfectly