The Lover
She taught me her language
the way it should be
how to roll it around
on my tongue, how to let
its silk sharpness slip down my throat
like pomegranate seeds,
how to narrow the gap
between my lips
and hers
She took my hand
and said here
feel
this is how words behave in skin
and it was then
that "home" started translating itself
not the word but the feeling
into te quiero, tu me manques,
a longing
without a border
Long dusks and slow nights
All the sounds of the world
began to mean desire
and she said here
this
it's what you've been searching for
Elodie Barnes is a poet, reviewer and essayist. She can be found writing in Paris, Spain or the UK (usually mixing up her languages), and is guest editor of the Life in Languages series at Lucy Writers’ Platform. Find her online at http://elodierosebarnes.weebly.com and on Twitter here: @BarnesElodie.