He hesitates, tasting

the words you might say.

So before he can go

you do.

Beat a retreat.

Pull back

your soldiers

of word and sword and pent-up emotion;

Pull back your soft sweet body.

There's musing on the faces

of the winos and the waitresses and

the loveless all around.

That's scary, you realize.

That's scary.

They're always thinking.

So I think I'll do more than retreat--

and you withdraw.

And it feels good.

And it smells of hiding in veins.

And it is okay to not be there, you

tell him later.

But he doesn't understand.

He couldn't, you guess.

There's no one with arms wide enough for your little-girl soul.

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Ok, so I tried to incorporate a picture at the start of this poem but something has gone awry! Once I see if I can fix it, I'd like this to be a thread of poems and stories with pictures and drawings attached! ...in the mean time, THX's comment has inspired me to suggest this thread be used as a place to write poems using 'old fashioned' and under-used or forgotten words and expressions which often have so much more depth of meaning than the everyday terms and phrases. I don't mean in every line, obviously - but if you think of a favourite word or phrase that is in danger of becoming extinct, give it a home in a poem on here. The theme can be solitude - or feel free to write "On" something else... The choice lies, as ever, with you O writer. : )

updated Jan 13 '09 by Parkovic