NaPoWriMo #21~The Marginal Sea

K.Hartless,
“Katharsis” Cyril Rolando

The Marginal Sea

A girl with a dragon tattoo,
petite dark chocolate frame,
spikes of neon blue.

We wipe away crumbs in unison
and laugh with the sidewalk bums.
Use our winks to score after-hour drinks.

The ocean ink of catharsis,
diary pages folded into paper boats,
a friendship fleet; I set sail in the sea of her hair…

do memories sink or float?

© khartless 2022, All Rights Reserved

NaPoWriMo#21~This prompt asks you to write a poem in which you first recall someone you used to know closely but are no longer in touch with, then a job you used to have but no longer do, and then a piece of art that you saw once and that has stuck with you over time. Finally, close the poem with an unanswerable question.

Side note: The artwork by Cyril Rolando has been my screensaver for over a decade.

Published by K.Hartless

K.Hartless is a persistent poet and eclectic fiction writer. She’s been recently published in Luna Station Quarterly, The Last Girls Club, Edge of Humanity Magazine, Pure Haiku, and Spillwords. Her blog, Yardsale of Thoughts, blends fiction, poetry, music, and art to create new experiences for readers.

24 Comments

  1. Wonderful! ❤️

    Memories always float, perhaps even fly. I remember a family trip in 1968 to Disneyland in Anaheim. So good, but can’t remember why I walked into the kitchen today?

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    1. Ha! So floating memories, but ones that may have lost their clarity. I don’t know. Feels like ther might be years that have fallen off like icebergs, sinking. Hmm, Family trip to Disneyland sounds fun. I would like to forget mine. 😂

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      1. Oh man, I’m sorry about your Disney experience. I don’t believe that my old memories have lost clarity, they are far too sharp for that. And, time flies way too fast! An old saying says the Time is the fire in which we burn…

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      2. That’s beautiful. Thanks for sharing that. Smoldering memories sounds just right. I was not much into heights as a child or crowds. Disney was a bit of a horror show.

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  2. “diary pages folded into paper boats,
    a friendship fleet” Wonderful line, awesome poem. Memories? Hmmm. I find that some sink and some float, though, it’s always interesting to have a memory arise that I didn’t see coming. I find it helpful, and sometimes disorienting. 😅

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    1. Thank you, Jeff. I’m in agreement about the fickle buoyancy of our memories. Some of mine have certainly been excavated like sunken ships. Definitely distorted and disorienting. I appreciate you connecting with my poem. Have a lovely weekend. 🦋

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      Reply

    1. Thank you. I love this surreal artwork. You know how a screensaver becomes sort of like a friend. Well, this piece definitely is. I see it and think, wow, you are in your writing home.

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      Reply

    1. Thank you. Threes are magical, and I don’t know why, but I find myself creating triplets frequently in my poetry. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Do you happen to know if NaPoWriMo is over yet? 😂😂

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      Reply

  9. Mmmmm, very thought-provoking. There is nostalgia with the imagery here but it feels very positive. Makes me think of that happy-go-lucky character in a film who gets on with everyone and does the right thing and flashes the right smile but underneath it all there’s these stirring thoughts and emotions and depth and no one to share it with so she just writes in secret.

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