Poetry

Scent Holds Sentiment

By: Iris Aloe

The closest we’ve been, today

In close to 4 months

And your cologne is driving me crazy,

I glance at your face, and I’m reminded,

You used to be my baby

And I feel so shameful,

That this sentiment still exists

Cause we ended in May,

Now summer is gone, and it’s September

But our proximity is bringing me back,

To the days, when your hands

Resided on my waist

And he talked to me at the beginning of the proceedings

And I may have glared at him, in some fashion,

You get it

But the rest of hour where I’m facing you,

That’s the main memory of my attraction

And my mind’s filled with your image,

My eyes can’t seem to leave,

Yours, staring down at the paper in front of you,

Half-wishing, you were reciprocating

So I’m messaging my friend, who’s asleep

And expressing my continually bubbling frustration

Cause because societal expectations,

And feministic ideals

I shouldn’t still be entranced,

I shouldn’t still be where I am

Yet I am

And you’re consuming all my creating,

You’re my only muse at the moment,

Ugh

This potential chemistry is causing me so much calamity

And I realized this morning, around 8 am,

That our relationship, ran so much thicker than a thread

I realized I was in love with you, I still am,

Apparently

And unfortunately

That why I’m on edge every time we’re in the same room,

No one could’ve or would’ve guessed you’d bring me to my doom

And then 9 am, you talk to me again,

You set off my anxiety

For the rest of today, terrified,

Of this afternoon meeting,

Where we will be forced share space

And then when I get there,

Someone catches my stare

And I was flirting a little bit,

Primarily to make you jealous

Oh shit, I’m sorry,

that makes me sadistic

I never intended for all this

But all I could envision,

Was your lips

And while my gaze was anywhere but your face,

I desperately desire your eyes on me, babe

I wanna see admiration, cause I still feel attracted,

And attached,

To you

Scent holds sentiment

That was the cause,

Of potential penitent

Wyoming Women

By: Iris Aloe

If you had asked how I was doing today,

Instead of running off, to catch a glimpse of her face

You would know that I finally did a deep dive

On the place we’re calling home

For the next 2 days

If you had only cared to make me feel cared

You would know

That today I learned Wyoming

Is an open carry state,

I saw a guy with a gun in the parking lot at the Walmart

If you had decided to be gallant,

And follow up on our enlightening conversings

You would’ve learned I live in a military family

So Mt Rushmore hit home

I severely appreciate the culture,

Of recognizing the veterans

That dedicate their lives, to let me live mine

If you had chosen,

To pursue an obviously amazing connection and chemistry,

Today I would’ve shared,

I disregarded your God-awful advice,

I looked up the location of the place we’re going tonight

You’d hear how I went down the rabbithole,

Of Wyoming women wearing turquoise jewelry,

As an homage to the natives

They understand,

They occupy stolen land

And if you hadn’t been willing to be coerced by her,

Maybe it would be my face,

Next to you

In the images you’re taking

But you clearly didn’t see, what I thought was crystal

So there goes,

Another potential person,

A guy who seemed just so great,

Right down the drain

Author Bio:
Iris Aloe writes poetry, songs, musicals, plays, and screenplays, and has been doing so since she was 12. You can find her and her work on Instagram at @irisaloewritings, and on forwritten.com.