the glass you left.

impression smudged, like
your fingerprints on the glass,
long after you left,
I kept it there, on the table,
and I would think of you
in my home, as if you belonged.

it seems as though the air is
pervaded by this image of you,
like the scent clinging to the
shirt you wore that day,
as i wound around the fact that
I had to twist out the words to
say good bye to you.

and maybe in time,
i will find that the quality of your
being, carried in the air on molecules
too small to be seen, this
delicate fragrance of your spirit
it too will fade, like well washed jeans.
like the haziest of memories.

yes, the influence of you will be
washed away by hands and soaps
and the glass will be put away
and soon, I will no longer be able to recollect
which one it was, (for they all look the same now)
that you used the day you left.

Reviews

[Janiese Wesley]

Leena I love this poem because the imagery is outstanding. The line, "and maybe in time, i will find that the quality of your being," is wonderful. His being was carried away in the air on molecules. I can literally, see him floating in the air. It's like when someone loses a loved one, and they can still feel, or see them in the some way.

[Ria Benthil]

The imagery and word play is an eloquently woven from its raw emotion. The glass is a tactile memory; a fingerprinted ruin. That tactile memory was a clever and unique approach of using it is the vocal point of the poem, indeed. It is a gentle, but sad narrative that is played like a film in my head. I find it also appealing since the speaker does not reveal who the person is, how they left, and why. From a personal and literal perspective, if I washed the untouched glass, every time I would use them, I would question if it was that special glass. In a sense, the memory will never leave even when that object is cleansed by appearance. The image remains imprinted in the mind.

[SpokenWord]

People are with us for as long as we keep them in our thoughts. The glass was a nice touch to this poem as it was unique because he left it in one spot with his fingerprints still on it, but in time that glass would be returned to its home with the other glasses and his memories would slowly vanish. So much truth in this poem as in the moment that person is everything but realizing in time he is just a memory amongst the others.

Images were crisp and beautiful.

[Helpless]

so deep... unique, something i've never seen before. very inspiring!

[lawrence bear]

this was wonderful and captivating, makes me feel as though you were speaking of me and yet, we are worlds apart, splendid.

[.......]

I loved your first stanza. This is a wonderful write.
A very enjoyable read.