Sorrow under Mist

Mist –
Giving wispy vapour to the breath,
Cool calm to autumn afternoons,
A hovering air of mysticism
Over brooding lakes –
Was different here,
Affording company, closeness –
A caring arm around her shoulders.
In the eyes, a once-clear oceanic blue
Wavered under water –
Tears telling torrid truths
She couldn’ t face –
Like the glowering image in the mirror
You don’t see in your mind’s eye
Of compensation; delusion.
We see her sitting on the concrete steps
That led down to the dew-laden garden.
She’s peering up, sensing her diffuse companion,
Refreshing in its chill; giving crispness
To the stealth of dulling evening.
But the bite of air couldn’t lift the sorrow
Of pale youth in love,
Shouldered by a not-in-love and scoffing eye.
Rejection hurt;
Hurts –
Wrenches deep –
Emotion that we can't deny.

~Mark R Slaughter