Engulfed
You managed to pick the only one I liked less than myself
in that moment. But I tried, again,
for you
because you taught me too well to breathe in nothing but you,
forget I'd ever had plans outside of you, you, you
nothing but you.
Somebody sent her a warning,
carrier pigeon in the dead of night,
but she stayed in the dance, fluttering in the sparks
of your torchlight.
I still blame her, but I can't blame her
when I know that I'd do--did--the same,
confronted by flames at midnight.
Atonement
Shame.
Church bells ring,
signalling another day
where they all know what I've done.
Shame.
Amethyst scars like a scarlet A
mark where I've been, who was here,
what I let him do, what I've done.
Shame.
Purgatory's a push towards penance,
circling around through eternity
but never forgiven for what I've done.
Pastels and Neons
Carrots among flowers
(the fronds are close enough),
coffee beans in pinks and greens.
Quick sips between snippets
of vague conversation
leave you breathless,
sneak peek at what's to come.
Upgrade at nighttime,
but switching roles
(carrots to barley
and coffee to tea).
Empty bottles on the bar
a preview prior to a feature film.
Dreamsong
A song for Mercutio
Do the stars seem extra bright tonight
Or is it just because you're on my mind?
We've got to be crazy,
'Cause this ain't right.
So here's to you and I--
Leaving the world behind.
Recording the Stars
I don't remember what I made
waltzing through the kitchen,
blowing out my ear drums at the grocery
with the same song on repeat.
Fractures of records from my favourite bands,
wash it down with a shot of regret,
a bottle of realisation
next to the whiskey you left
halfway to Narnia.
I lie back again and
that guitar is still all I can stomach
as I stare at the smile scratched
into the ceiling of my subconscious.
And here I thought I'd never know
what it felt like to be this version of me,
playing that moment on repeat.
Juliette Sebock is the author of Mistakes Were Made and has work in publications including Royal Rose Mag and Cauldron Anthology. She is the editor-in-chief of Nightingale & Sparrow and runs a lifestyle blog, For the Sake of Good Taste. When she isn't writing (and sometimes when she is) she can be found with a cup of coffee and her cat, Fitz. She can be reached at her website and across social media at @juliettesebock.