songs of spine & salt

Author: bellmusker
Word Count: 260
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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

songs of spine & salt

for those with songs for me….....past, present & future

songs of spine & salt belongs to the following groups:

Blue Room, Lesbian and Bi-Women's Art, Melbourne & Victoria, The Lost, Gifted, Shameless - A RBG for You to Shape , The Sensual Word, The Word Tree and Writers' Market

Nicole Ryan, 2 months ago

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 in reply to Nicole Ryan’s comment, 2 months ago

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
LisaG, 2 months ago

“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….
Nicole Ryan, 2 months ago

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 in reply to Nicole Ryan’s comment, 2 months ago

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.
Nicole Ryan, 2 months ago

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, 2 months ago

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, 2 months ago

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
deliriousgirl, 2 months ago

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, 2 months ago

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
Roy barry, 2 months ago

Amazing writing, so powerful and emotive.
Luckyvegetable, 2 months ago

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, 2 months ago

absolutely beautiful dear Bell…’choose your scent

write your song

& leave it on my skin’

i love those lines
bellmusker in reply to LittleHelen’s comment, 2 months ago

Oh sweetheart, you took up the challenge…& went straight to my wrist! How well you know me. x x x
SwaySlayer, 2 months ago

I really enjoyed reading this. The way you managed to create such specific, unique imagery for every experience was very impressive.
TeriLee, 2 months ago

Truly beautiful words…fantasic writing…as usual :)
natapee, 2 months ago

oh oh oh deliecious. love the ending.
Alan Findlater, 2 months ago

excellent work love it well done
SoxyFleming, 2 months ago

it’s something really special this
Laurie McClave, 2 months ago

I just had to read this again and say “Ooooh you fine woman you!”
aglaia b, 2 months ago

“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, about 1 month ago

Fantastic. Not a word out of place and so many pearls on the string.
blackirish, about 1 month ago

Love the imagery, especially the inviting finish. Well done.
bellmusker, about 1 month ago

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, about 1 month ago

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, about 1 month ago

this is beautiful …..
mstrace, about 1 month ago

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, 27 days ago

beautiful & emotive, the smells & tastes – just fantastic
Glenn-Patrick ..., 24 days ago

Beautiful.I had to read it three times and it still lingers-bouncing around in my head.
Nicholas Johnston, 18 days ago

Bell, this poem has just germinated and taken root in my sensorium. I think it’s there for good.
bellmusker in reply to Nicholas Johnston’s comment, 18 days ago

What a beautiful comment, Nicholas…....exactly what writers want to hear about their words! Thanks so much.
TheWanderingBoo, 8 days ago

absolutely beautiful…a fine piece of work…absolutely enjoyed it
Caroline Gorka, 8 days ago

Beautiful words, which sank in and left me holding my breath.
bellmusker in reply to TheWanderingBoo’s comment, 7 days ago

Thank you so much for that…this piece has a special place in my heart so I appreciate your words:-)
bellmusker in reply to Caroline Gorka’s comment, 7 days ago

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, 7 days ago

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..