Maroon and green

A personal nonfiction poem about an ex boyfriend I was with when I was in active addiction that I used with.

Must you have always worn my maroon jacket?
And you even wore my green jacket on top of it
Really wish you hadn’t worn my jackets
Once jackets I loved to wear
Only now I can no longer wear them
Now they only remind me of you

And now they still smell like you two years later
Newports and cheap beer
Did you really have to wear my jackets?

Goodwill won’t get them because I can’t let go
Really wish I could erase you from my mind
Even though I miss you
Even though I hate you
Never again will I wear these jackets thanks to you

Reviews

[albee]

What is a jacket? A cloak of despair and deceit? Drunken smokey smudge? Clearly a metaphor. Bodily attachment?
Or just over the top button downed clinging to something as nebulous as love/life ?

[JE Falcon]

A well-written poem, but such a waste of clothing, and the affairs of the heart. In my experience, add a quarter cup of Old Spice, and any qualms that you may have, to the wash water; then Hang Them Out to Dry. It works even better if you try to find, another, someone to help with the dirty laundry. :)

[W. Barrett Munn]

I like the idea but think you can dig deeper and find better diction that matches the emotions you write about. Btw, I only mean parts of it - some of it is great. Never be afraid to rewrite - look back at your own work as if you were a stranger reading it for the first time.

That's my 2 pennies for whatever.

[poetgurl]

And now they still smell like you two years later
Newports and cheap beer
Did you really have to wear my jackets?

Wonderful imagery here, this is a wonderful write

[red93]

Also Sam, Reiki Practice can help you with both addiction and bereavement issues. If you type Reiki into Google Search, you will find many listings that you may find useful and therapeutic.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

"And now they still smell like you two years later
Newports and cheap beer" I loved this line it was so funny and rings with a lot of truth. Who has smelled the scent of an ex love on their clothing and not thought how the hell is there smell still around? They're like a bad fart that doesn't go away. And yet they leave your heart sad because despite their shittyness there were some good times there too. A very relatable and good poem Sam.

[red93]

Excellent true life recollection Sam, you really get to the heart of the matter. I still think regularly of ex-girlfriends with fondness and sometimes resentment - some bonds can never be forgotten.

[John the Baptist]

Some events are hard to forget. Some people are even harder.

[Gideon X. A. Elson]

Tennyson would say "tis better to have loved and lost...." though in the times when we are lost in loss, it certainly wouldn't seem anything could ever be worse. Well done 👏

[Writergurl]

Love that second stanza, emotional read here....