songs of spine & salt
for those with songs for me….....past, present & future
songs of spine & salt belongs to the following groups:
A New Aesthetic.... Divine and Otherwise , Blue Room, Lesbian and Bi-Women's Art, Melbourne & Victoria, The Red Writing Room, The Sensual Word, The Word Tree and WMGbrush 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
PJ Ryan
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 !!!
bellmusker replied
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
Lisa Jewell
“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….
PJ Ryan
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
bellmusker replied
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.
PJ Ryan
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 :)
butchart
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
LittleHelen
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
bellmusker replied
Oh sweetheart, you took up the challenge…& went straight to my wrist! How well you know me. x x x
deliriousgirl
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!
Laurie McClave
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
roybarry
Amazing writing, so powerful and emotive.
Luckyvegetable
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.
Jessica Tremp
absolutely beautiful dear Bell…’choose your scent
write your song
& leave it on my skin’
i love those lines
SwaySlayer
I really enjoyed reading this. The way you managed to create such specific, unique imagery for every experience was very impressive.
TeriLee
Truly beautiful words…fantasic writing…as usual :)
natapee
oh oh oh deliecious. love the ending.
Alan Findlater
excellent work love it well done
Soxy Fleming
it’s something really special this
Laurie McClave
I just had to read this again and say “Ooooh you fine woman you!”
aglaia b
“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
but never at her”
and
“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”
oh what delightful imagery all these beautiful words conjure up.
love all this to bits!! ;-) xox
Digby
Fantastic. Not a word out of place and so many pearls on the string.
blackirish
Love the imagery, especially the inviting finish. Well done.
bellmusker
This is now my most favourited piece of writing, and the pleasure this gives me is extraordinary. There tends to be a darkness in much of my work, given my past, so to see such a hopeful and joyous flow of words gather such favour, helps me to realise that letting the light in isn’t necessarily as daunting as I thought.
And to realise that there’s still room and reason for more songs to be written on my body….feels pretty damn good also.
Thanks to everyone for your support and encouragement.
janetmary
brush my hair aside
trace your lips along my spine
& read the stories in my bones
this’ so beautiful … and such sensory images melding story and body – story becoming body – body becoming story …........ storying bodies tis one of the most beautiful things eh! specially when you realise there is space for layers of stories xjm
April Mansilla
this is beautiful …..
mstrace
This is phenomenal. See what happens little bell? when I bide my time ingesting your words? one piece at a time, thinking its the best way to savor something gorgeous? I read something like this at an unexpected time of day when ordinary things are being played out around me – and then goosebumps rise on my flesh, I taste the bitter and the sweet, roll it across my senses, and the rest of my day pales by comparison…
blowing you a kiss across the ocean
Miri
beautiful & emotive, the smells & tastes – just fantastic
Glenn-Patrick ...
Beautiful.I had to read it three times and it still lingers-bouncing around in my head.
Nicholas Johnston
Bell, this poem has just germinated and taken root in my sensorium. I think it’s there for good.
bellmusker replied
What a beautiful comment, Nicholas…....exactly what writers want to hear about their words! Thanks so much.
TheWanderingBoo
absolutely beautiful…a fine piece of work…absolutely enjoyed it
bellmusker replied
Thank you so much for that…this piece has a special place in my heart so I appreciate your words:-)
Caroline Gorka
Beautiful words, which sank in and left me holding my breath.
bellmusker replied
Thanks Caroline…..I’m still having a somewhat difficult time resolving issues with a toxic ex, and when I struggle, I come here and gain strength from my own words. Love how my pen gives me gifts when I need them most!
Caroline Gorka
It’s good to share, to gain some resolve and relief yourself …and giving others the pleasure, and the pain…and understanding & experience from your own..
Kaimarie
wow lady…
Alex Brown
b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l! again fantastic.
VenusWrites
I love the raw and multi-textured journey you’ve taken this reader on. What a treat to have so many senses awakened – the incorporation of food in this piece is genious. Beautiful
bellmusker replied
Thanks so much, Venus. I’ve realised that a constant theme in my work is the scent of food …...I often end up writing about vanilla and cloves, honey and salt. Love bringing the senses alive!
VenusWrites
SO sensual; brilliant! And – I’m suddenly quite hungry!
fleece
this is good, can’t believe i didn’t notice it before now…
bellmusker replied
Thank you! A rather toxic relationship (the pear scented man) knocked all the faith out of me for some time, and when this came out of my pen, I knew I was healing.
Whenever my stomach turns at intimacy and all the dangers it contains, I come back here and read this. I think that’s why it’s struck chord with quite a few people….we’re all on the road to recovery, really, in our own special way.
latinluvleee
it made the little hairs on my arm stand up -because… it is just sooooo .. hm. so real. ugh. i hate having to learn the lesson, but we dont have to hold on to the pain to hold on to the memory. i’m hoping as the days and weeks go by, the ‘scent of pears’ will wear away as well.
damn those pears!
Franka Zaumseil
awe… have to read it a couple of times before I even know what to say….....
bellmusker replied
Thank you! I’m pleased it speaks to you….
H J Higgins
Oh that’s lovely. So intimate and visual, delicate and striking. Wonderful.
Leith O'Malley
You are now one of my favourite bards of prose here!
What an incredible piece of writing.. I’m off to read more of your work :)
Luke Downes
now THIS is what love is…and it’s beautiful
bellmusker replied
now THIS is what love is…and it’s beautiful
Aye, I’ll give you that, Luke…..it’s vicious and vibrant, unforgettable and unforgivable…but it is beautiful, yes. And that’s the killer, really, isn’t it? Otherwise we’d never go back for more…..Thanks for the comment; appreciate it!
ellejayerose
I think Dorothy Parker would fall in <3>
nnimus3
you understand
Cindy Olivier
wow, i love your talent, food for the soul
bellmusker replied
Thanks so much…..it’s food for my soul too, in the deepest possible way.
tarawilson
this is amazing, amazing, poetry and so beautiful—what a spread for the senses and the ending is such a beautiful aha moment. :)
bellmusker replied
Thanks so much…the ending even caught me by surprise; never knew I had such tenderness in me! :-)
tarawilson
yeah, i love when a poem leads us to self discovery…sometimes, i think poems like that seem to write themselves, and they just come together so perfectly… :)
Leda D
oh wow this is amazing! absolutely beautiful i want to read it over and over again.
bellmusker replied
Thank you – I really appreciate it! Sometimes I come back here too, when I need to remember that in amongst the pain of connecting, there’s a lot of beauty too.
nadine henley
another lovely capture in words, bellmusker. I do so enjoy where your words take me swimming in all the sensual detail.
bellmusker replied
And I really enjoy watching you wander through my writing, seeing what speaks to you…..it’s always inspiring to get such positive feedback, so thank you!
seeker19
Such a wonderful piece of writing – I was so engrossed in it, when I finished I had this urge to examine my body to see if I could also find traces… Maybe they’re not just in our memory ;) Love it :)
bellmusker replied
Thank you so much for this…...I think they’re in not just our memories, but sometimes, the very fibres we’re woven from. Or at least, those who are truly memorable, whether we want them to be or not :-) Cheers!
linaji
Holy Mole.. I am speechless.. your amazing. how come I never saw you till today??? Wow wowo wow.. What PJ said ..what everyone else said and here is what i will say..
I melted ..literally into every tiny crevice of your verse.. I felt serges of kindness…and a prick of memory..
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
Wheww glorious.. glorious feelings you have evoked from this somtimes in need of the sweet verse woman..
thank you so much.
bellmusker replied
Linaji, what a beautiful comment to find – thank you so much! This piece takes me back, and I’ve learned that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
Like you, I’m sometimes in need of sweet verse too but it doesn’t always fall out of my pen! Each time I reread this – it’s been up over a year – I have a secret smile for each of these lovers, for the lessons they taught me and the beauty they brought to my life….even those of them who scarred me when they left. I’m learning that those scars are a stellar part of me, and writing it out helps….as it always, always does :-)
Thanks again!
gretchen .
Sigh. Wish I had something more clever to say to you beautiful Bell… words like this are impossible to step to… double sigh ;) xox
bellmusker replied
Just knowing you stopped by my work is all that I need, sweetheart…..always good to hear from you! x x
silvercircles 2 days ago
Beautiful and romantic!!
bellmusker replied 2 days ago
Thank you so much :-)
Matt Penfold 2 days ago
Do you really scowl like a gorgon as you sleep?
What a truly amazing piece of writing, so sensory and evocative.
bellmusker replied 1 day ago
Hehe, apparently, I did during that period of my life! I’d like to think I’ve achieved some measure of serenity since then :-)
Thanks Matt, this piece is one of my most personal on RB, and I’m always delighted when someone stops by here. Cheers!