Photo by Alexander Possingham on Unsplash
Bed Unmade
“But I couldn’t control my restlessness, an eagerness for violation was growing in me, I wanted to break the rules, as the entire world seemed to be breaking the rules.”
– Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, a novel by Elena Ferrante
We should forget.
It’s better this way.
I won’t divine
entangled spirits
from rat-nested bedsheets,
shades unfurled,
eclipsing shame.
We have fun.
Yeah we did.
No love misplaced,
like spilled spirits
and tongues.
Yet I return,
haunted spirit,
to the mistake
we never made.
***
Inspired by Real Toads Words To Live By, hosted for the final time by Rommy. We were asked to reflect on a word or quote that means something special to us.
Ironically, as someone who loves words, I drew a blank here. Ultimately, I settled on a quote from a book I’m currently reading (Book three of a four-book series by Elena Ferrante, collectively titled Neapolitan Novels.)
Also shared at dVerse Quadrille #93: Spirited Poems, hosted by whimsygizmo. Other poets contributed to this prompt here.
Hephaestus’ Waste & Cosmic Rubble 
I love that quote, and the way you’ve tangled it into your piece, like those sheets. I felt those spirits deeply, both the spilled and the haunted.
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Thank you. 😊
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Stunning, Barry!
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Thank you Kim. 😊
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Having been born on the tail end of the wait till your married generation, I can only say I am glad to have broken all the rules, when I was young and that eagerness for violation burned like a branding iron. Now that the embers merely glow, I find myself perfectly willing to sit beside the fire, and had I waited? Or only indulged when the bans were in place? I’d have missed out on the best times of my life… I loved this one, Barry… In case you couldn’t tell..
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Thank you Violet. I’m glad it resonated with you. We sound like kindred spirits, you and I. 😊
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Nothing dims the free-wheeling aspect of a casual fling like the fear you might be catching feelings despite your best efforts. I love the nuanced picture you presented in this poem.
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You nailed that unspoken facet. That is certainly a raw, unwelcome feeling when it’s unexpected, I imagine. (As if I only had to imagine… lol) Thank you for reading between the lines a bit. 😉
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Nice description of those entangled, spilled and haunted spirits.
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Thanks Frank! 😊
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I keep hearing Frankie and “My Way” in my head. See what you did? Seriously, this is an awesome write.
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Thank you. Being compared to Ol’ Blue Eyes is high praise!
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I was a by the rules gal… until I wasn’t and still not a wild child – but I don’t regret very much of my life except maybe the things I didn’t do or didn’t say. Love your way with words and the images they show
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“to the mistake/ we never made.” I like the question this raises. If it’s a regret that a particular action wasn’t taken, or that the action that was taken was not a mistake. I find I regret more the things I didn’t do then the things I did.
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the question we ask ourselves a million times without any real answer: “why didn’t i?” It suggests fate or a pre-ordained path, at least for me, because so many times I should have!
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You may have drawn a blank at first, but in the end you came up with something excellent.
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The mistake you never made… somehow I think we all have those wishes for once have broken the rules confining us.
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Agreed. Thanks, man.
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