Goodbye Embraces Hello

The entrapment of
subtle silences in
each goodbye
embracing hello
where you already knew
I loved you
eyes electrified over
a slanted smile
I was conquered
by an
unexpected exotic
not like a tiger
hidden behind palm trees
not like royal silk tapestries
warming damp
castle walls
but exotic like
a flower slowly
inviting a peek into a
second color
hidden beneath soft petals
a worn voice
suddenly subdued
marigold sensations
in my ear
the golden scent filling
my lungs full of
desperate visions and
forbidden domination.

Nikki Lockhart