Blue Mountain Arts Poetry Contest

Lines
by Katharine Kavanagh

Twenty-First Contest
SECOND Place

Don't ask if I remember;
you have made your mark on me.
Even in the mirror now, I see you,
brought again to focus 
in the withering of age.
Folded softly in the faded silk
that forms the rumpled picture of my face
lie the smiles you have given me;
your imprint waits to rise again
and light this shabby, aged skin
with joys we used to share.
Around my eyes dance Spanish nights
and country days
when our hair was long, our spirits free;
nestled in the lines that cross my cheeks, 
our talk, our laughter,
meals shared, and glasses drained;
Upon my still-creased brow, a memory —
of what it was to soar.
And at the corners of my mouth,
a kiss —
quiet,
and full of the everyday bliss of being loved.
Don't ask if I remember.
You are written here a thousand times.

About the Author
Katharine writes from the UK, works as a performer and theatre-maker, and also turns her pen to poetry now and again. Her website is here: www.katharinekavanagh.com.