A curtain of desire
obscures my view.
Obscures my way.
Obscures my path
forward.
A hand that grazes my cheek
or dances along my thigh,
the feeling of silk on my skin,
the bitterness of a mistake
caught in the back of my throat.
Are we running or walking? We’re
going much too fast. I’m not
that kind of girl. I’m not
that kind of woman. I don’t
do that kind of thing. I’m not
that way. This isn’t
me speaking, this is
that bottomless pit of desire
in my stomach
speaking
beating.
Take your hand off my arm.
Put it back. Put it
somewhere else — no
not there.
Look me in my eyes. Tell me
I’ll never be yours. Tell me
my heart’s still mine. Peel back
the curtain of desire and
reveal what we already know.
(I’m yours, I’m yours,
yours, yours,
yours.)
Hail a taxi across the street. I’ll
dash across the wet asphalt and
meet you in the back. Catch us
kissing in the corners and
snatching looks during candlelit
dinners. Just don’t catch me
falling in love with you. Just
don’t catch you pushing me
beyond the pale.
You’re the best, you, you, you,
your lips
your hands
your eyes
those multicolored things
You’re the brightest, you’re the bees’ knees,
you’re everything, you’re a carnival apple,
a red balloon on a string. But kindly
get out of my way, get out of my path, get —
You, you’ve won. You devil, you hellion,
you twister of words. I’m in love with you.
Take hold of that curtain of desire and
tear it in two. Shake me, take me,
make me yours.
(Yours, yours, yours.)
If you enjoyed “Curtain of Desire,” read more poetry!
All poetry is housed on The Poetry Deck.
You might especially enjoy the poem “Goddess,” which shares some themes with this poem.
Share this poem and follow Voyage of the Mind.
If you enjoyed this poem, pass it along! And follow Voyage of the Mind using the buttons in the sidebar for updates and more poetry. If you’re loving our work, please consider supporting Voyage of the Mind on Ko-fi.
Start a conversation in the comments.
What did you think of this poem? It was my first foray, really, into the world of romance… in terms of poetry, at least! Tell me what you thought, or tell me what’s on your mind.
This was absolutely beautiful…
Thank you so much! ❤️
Very vividly illustrated and think we’ve all been there!!
Thank you! As I was writing it, I did think about how universal a feeling it was… The push and pull of love.
This is awesome! You definitely have talent 🙂
Thank you! 🙂 I’m glad you liked the poem.
Beautiful feeling and well construed! I really enjoyed reading and am going back to read more
Thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. 🙂 Very kind words. You made me smile!
Heart rendering poetry. Keep going. I’d like to read more from you.
Thank you! That means a lot. New poems daily (including two today), so keep an eye out!
This was beautiful! It’s constructed well and I really loved reading it. Wonderful writing and poem.
Thank you so much for these kind words! I’m really glad you liked the poem. 🙂