No. 016

October 15, 2024·17 lines·1 min read

The painting of paradise

I slipped into the dream of kiss—

Yesterday, through my translucent looking glass I watched, from the deepest recesses of my desire A girl, who in a Brooklyn bath Washed her radiance in the hydrant's fire I lit my last cigarette Leaned against the concrete sill And began to palm a beat till The rhythm matched my swirling breath The blue smoke ringed and broke Into ghostly frowns and grins, Hazing the air. Children swinging rope Encircled her image in soundless spins I maintained. The idyll scene's a glist Or summer glaze, and in her dripping mascaraed Eyes I slipped into the dream of kiss— The painting of paradise.

Checking who has held this poem...

Part of your record in the archive.

Sign in if you want your name to stay with the record.

Keep this one close.

Saved on this device. Sign in below to keep it across devices.

Sign in to keep your shelf across devices.

Sign in to keep your holds, saves, and reading record across devices. Quiet, private, and only for you.

Sign in

Send the line onward, save the story image, or pass the poem to someone who needs it.

Share on XPinterest image

 

Sign in if you want shares and story actions to carry your name in the archive record.

If this poem stayed with you, the next one will find you.

A quieter way to stay close to the work. One poem at a time.

Hear the poem in one breath.

A studio reading for the archive, voiced with care and restraint.

Studio reading
The painting of paradise0:00 / 0:42
Part of a living collection since September 2024.

No. 16

17 lines · 1 min read

124 total entries and still expanding.

A way further in

Not the final meaning. Just a closer read, a better question, and a few nearby poems worth opening next.

Love

A strong place to begin when you need permission to feel heat instead of hiding it.

Stay in the archive a little longer.

If this one stayed with you, keep it. Then either leave a note, keep moving through the archive, or open a random poem.

Notes for Collection No. 16

A guestbook for the poem itself. Leave a response, an image prompt, or an image link if it belongs in the same room.

Yesterday, through my translucent looking glass

A good note starts where the poem stayed with you.

Loading notes...

Every note becomes part of the room's memory.

Say what stayed with you, what it opened up, or what line you are carrying out of the room.

Sign in if you want the room to remember your name.

The reading room

Loading notes...