Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Stars on Alabama



We lived our little drama.
We kissed in a field of white.
And stars fell on Alabama last night.  ~Mitchell Paris


Oh, those stars over Alabama.
How they fell in tender light
upon the fields of soft,
white buds, plucked
by your dark, scarred fingers
to show me the stubborn
seeds nestled there.

How the moon creases
the ochre sky tonight,
how I can taste red clay
in the cracks of my lips
takes me back to you,

to your dim room where
your mama’s quilt dressed
your sentimental bed,
and the smell of scotch
and weed wafted
like your fingers along my skin.

We slow-danced the blues,
and our lips pressed together
kept the secret between us:

How you could’ve been hanged for birth
and I could’ve been burned for love.

But we never spoke of this, only met
as the quad tower tolled the library’s closing—
you, gunning your daddy’s red Ford and me,
breathless and laughing, running to catch up.

You drove us to that field, gave me
something soft, and then hard-pressed
between your naked hands, I shuddered
white stars in a black sky.

Remember this, I whispered.


I’ll remember this, you said.  

And you cradled my head in your neck,  
chewed on a blade of grass while I inhaled
the woods of you, and we both just let it be,
let it all go without words.

© Ami Mattison

Flickr photo courtesy of Katie Harbath

8 comments:

  1. Lyrical love poem, Ami. Great imagery, especially in second and third stanzas."I shuddered / white stars in a black sky": a wow line.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Simply beautiful, and I love the song, always have. This is narrative that is also pure word painting. "...How the moon creases the ochre sky..." Stellar, Ami.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Alabama Rocks!!
    So did your 'weed' reference
    hehehehehe

    ReplyDelete
  4. Scotch and weed like fingers-on-skin...now there's a sensory visual.

    Beautiful, melodic narrative peppered with striking and descriptive imagery that is, in turn, easy to picture in one's mind's eye...

    ReplyDelete
  5. dang...let go with out words...i shuddered white stars in black sky...love this...really nice esp after yesterdays ami...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes, those white shuddering stars. You have some incredible images here. It's a great balance of beauty and melancholy.

    ReplyDelete
  7. brilliant tribe.
    bless you.

    Enjoyed this, awesome talent.

    Invite you to join poets rally week 42 by sharing a free verse today.
    Appreciate your input.

    Hope to see you in!
    Have A Blessed Easter!
    xxx

    ReplyDelete