poem: rachel bloodworth

Fragments of an Old Poem

One night, long ago

I wrote a poem

about another night

long ago

when we walked and talked

and stopped to sit on a bench

in a city square

Fog moistened our skin with its breathy touch

Street lights bound tree branches into delicate shadow nets

Sitting so still

wanting

not to disturb the careful structure of

air and something else

My mouth remembered the feel of yours

A shelter from scenes requiring performance

You never judged

Leaving me free to be myself

You were earth in a dreamscape

Solid in ethereal mist

In this delicate night space

Too romantic to be real

Touching your hand gently

A natural gesture

Didn’t happen

One night, long ago

I wrote the ambience

With some regret

One night, not long ago

I reread the poem

With no regret

One impulse was stilled

But another impulse protected

And all these years later

You still never judge

And, with you, I am still never other

than me

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about the writer: rachel bloodworth

When Rachel isn’t making coffee at a coffee shop, she’s designing webpages or ads for freelance clients, and helping her autistic son transition from teen to adult. She uses her free time for creative pursuits. You can see some of her sketches and paintings at https://www.instagram.com/rachelebloodworthart/.