After Touching You, I Think of Narcissus Drowning by Leila Chatti
After Touching You, I Think of Narcissus Drowning
Leila ChattiHow desire is a thing I might die for. Longing a well,
a long dark throat. Enter any bodyof water and you give yourself up
to be swallowed. Even the stonesknow that. I have writhed
against you as if against the blackbottom of a deep pool. I have emerged
from your grip breathlessand slicked. How easily
I could forget youas separate, so essential
you feel to me now. Youbeneath me like my own
blue shadow. You silent as the moondrifts like a petal
across your skin, my mouthto your lip—you a spring
I return to, unquenchable, and drink.
MARGINALIA
1.
You know this—how deep desire can be. How I feel blessed to have hours upon hours looking at your face.
2.
I know what hunger is because I yearn for you.
3.
The way I want to find your hands on my body. The way I go looking for your mouth in the dark, always, and everywhere.
endnotes
This poem appeared in Poem-a-Day, published by the Academy of American Poets, 2021. Shared here with profound gratitude.
Read more works by Leila Chatti • Find books by this poet • Or view my library
Explore poems in pursuit of: desire • water • the moon • Or browse the index
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