Something of a Ghost
A Wisp of a Poem
Something of a Ghost
“I swear, you’re impossible.”
A square firmly placed between your lips
You let out another puff of smoke
The swirling white creates shapes in front of me
“Listen to me.”
It’s an old ship, floating along the wind
The creaking wood ready to strike fear into hearts
Floating away through the sea of stars
“You need face reality.”
Oh look, now it’s an otter, tumbling into the night sky
Leaving a jet trail behind its movements
Free until it is retrained by the barriers of a breeze
“Life isn’t about dreaming.”
My face falls as the smoke disperses
A slight gust carrying it away
The grey mixture dissipated into black
“I know you don’t like to hear it, but it’s true.”
You look at me and I stare back
The fireworks of red, purple, green, blue, gone
Fourth of July sparklers, finished
“You’re something else.”
You take another drag of your cigarette
As you let it out, my heart smiles
The cold night air twists and condenses the smoke
“You’re a silly little girl.”
This time, it’s a crown
Beautiful with its hazy jewels
With gothic curves and engraving
“Are you even listening to me?”
The image fades into nothing and I turn my head
Your eyes are hallow, haunting
I smile [in my head]
You were always my smoky ghost.
Copyright © 2012 by Gina Pendragon
This is an old poem that I did get published back in the day. It was for a poetry class in college, actually. This one and another one were published by a poetry magazine. Still one of my favorite ones I have written and while this isn’t the exact formatting, you can still feel the separation, with it like this.
I hope you like it. I know it’s not my usual stories, but it does TELL a story. Hahaha. Which I guess just goes to show how much creating stories is ingrained in me.
<3