You were like marmalade
sweet bold tangy
man I loved you so much
you kissed me lightly sweetly and my hope went seeding into the air
a dandelion blown apart by wind
I felt like sleeping beauty
waked from a long dream
the next time you kissed me fire grew
and pointed my breasts
and that night I stared sightlessly
above dishes in the sink
stared out at the darkness
waiting for you to climb over the fence
and take me
The prosaic: this poem came from a writing prompt at a writing workshop at Brigid’s Place when my good friend Sandi ran it. The facilitator put a list of words on the board and then asked us to use several of them. Among them were “dishes in the sink at night” and “dandelions.” The word “marmalade” is what got me started. A draft of this poem just flowed out of me, always a wonderful experience for a writer, that tapping into something under the surface that appears like a dolphin arching out of water. The poem captured a special time; when you’re so attracted to someone, and there is respect as well as spark in the attraction, and the potential for a love affair is there. I write a lot about love in all its aspects: familial, romantic, friendly, broken, forbidden, spiritual. It seems to me that is our reason for being here–to learn how to love life and the people in it in the fullest way. My definition of full continues to grow.
Karleen Koen — writing life 