songs of spine & salt
brush my hair aside
trace your lips along my spine
& read the stories in my bones
this one, here, by my rib
read me Hemingway in the bath
and smelled of cut grass
it took me months
to stop inhaling my pillow
with a smile
here, along the curve of my shoulder
this one brushed my hair for hours
& cooked me jambalaya
in a moon shaped dish
he’s still turmeric and cayenne
to me
this freckle against my rib
she won me with sarcastic German
and medieval hair
she laughed when I tasted of grapes
& said I scowled like a gorgon
even as I slept
this bone, here, with the kink
belongs to him
with the slide guitar & cowboy boots
who howled at the moon with me
left handprints on my thighs
& smelled of leather, & lemon, & lust
Tequila lives here, by this scar
on my hip
she threw me against the wall
& finally pounced
then the next day proposed marriage
to a dull boy with black eyes
& no idea
this lower rib, if you lean in
still smells of the ocean
of a blue eyed boy with
dirty laugh & carnal wrists
who let me lick the salt from his skin
& still reads every word
this bruise at my tailbone
just doesn’t heal
but his scent of pears and cigarettes
is becoming fainter
& no longer turns my stomach
or my heart
brush my hair away
& find a bone
choose your scent
write your song
& leave it on my skin
so I can play it
when you’re gone
& smile
© bellmusker 2008
Comments
Bell, this is so amazing .. it’s truly the best piece of lyrical poetry i’ve read in a long while !!
It hit me in the heart .. sat in throat ..
It’s truly beautiful
brush my hair aside
trace your lips along my spine
& read the stories in my bones
absolute ripper opening lines !!!
Thank you sweetheart!
I’m coming to a point in my life where I realise that those who left their mark on me, also left their lesson….be it a bruise or a caress, I’m learning to see the blessing in them all. And that lets so much light in, that I never imagined before……thank you for reading x x x x
– bellmusker
“brush my hair aside
trace your lips along my spine
& read the stories in my bones”
Fuck – that is brilliance…….the stories in your bones….my gods woman, YES YES YES……
this is a fav as you are XOXOXO so damn much to absorb…..LOVE IT….
i love your philosophy .. it will make you feel lighter ..
remember, they were drawn to you also because you had a message/lesson for them :)
xx
A message for them also? Hmmmm….beware contrary witches with red hair and clenched fists, who will pin you down in ink & only show tenderness while you sleep…..but I know what you mean. I hope they feel the same way.
– bellmusker
ha !!
i was once a red haired witch with a clenched fist :)
i can assure you they will feel this way .. if not now .. some day .. here or thereafter :)
oh bell……….. you are indeed delicious……… and so is this……. that you now see lessons and maybe even joy in what was past is a hard earned gift………….. thank you for sharing your mind and body with us…………………………………..b
Wrist bone…
Scent…Stella McCartney and Patchouli Oil…
Song…Seductress of Bums…
You remember me?
Haha…what a stunning piece of writing…you are on fire girl xx
Oh sweetheart, you took up the challenge…& went straight to my wrist! How well you know me. x x x
– bellmusker
left handprints on my thighs
& smelled of leather, & lemon, & lust
Ahhhhhhhhhh, just so damned fine! Just a great tribute to an incredible past, present, and future of an amazing woman!
Bell i love this sooo much , such a delicate and delirious way to put forth your heart feelings and memory imprints…. I love your mind baby and I can hear the music…. xxoo L
Amazing writing, so powerful and emotive.
It’s not that I’m speechless…it’s that I can’t find words good enough to describe this….If there’s one thing I love about being a reader, it’s finding wisdom in words that makes me nod, makes me understand, makes me feel a twist of pride in my stomach to know that the writer of those words is out there, is amazing.