Poem: Communication

[meridian_rose]

Title: Communication
Fandom: Original
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 338
Prompt: For the writerverse writerverse quick fic amnesty prompts Sonnets, Words Are Hard, Silver-Tongued Devil
Summary: How can love be communicated in such a way that the other person will accept it as the truth?
Content Notes: No standard warnings apply.


I love you, he said
Yet I could not accept that
For people lie, and besides,
I'm inadequate
Undeserving
Yet he persisted
Trying to convince me
To persuade
Assure
As if he thought me worth the effort

I would write you sonnets, he said
But words are difficult
They don't fully capture my feelings
They can only depict concepts
Form metaphors
Describe
They cannot let you feel what I feel
Cannot share how much I love you
You can read my letters
My poems
Email
But you can never experience my adoration

I would wax eloquent for hours, he said
But lyrics are trite
And a Silver-Tongued Devil
Is still a devil
A trickster
Shyster
Music can move us but it
Cannot make us hear the meaning behind
The bass and the beats
The chords
Rhythm
The sense lost in the sound

I would draw you pictures, he said
But art is subjective
The oil on the canvas
The brushstrokes
Paint
A picture of a pipe is not a pipe
Would you see the same as me
In the light and shadows
Texture and form
Image
Or think it a poor reflection of reality?

I would share my body, he said
If you would let me
Press my lips to your skin
Caress you
Embrace
I would honour your boundaries
Revel within those limits
Please you
Delight
But we are more than our bodies

I would share my thoughts, he said
If it were possible
To meld our minds
Telepathically joined
Psychic
Maybe then you could trust
That what I feel
And think
Believe
Is the truth

I love you, he said
And I could not accept that
But I'm learning to
Trying to
Shall
He will win me over
Convince me that I'm
Valuable, and important
Deserving
Loved
No-one has tried this hard before

I love you too, I said
And I saw his hesitation
Mirroring my own
Disbelieving me
Doubtful
I felt comforted, strangely
That we were both vulnerable
Uncertain, tentative
Wary
It gave me hope.

---

Notes
I'm using 'he' and an unspecified narrator, but this could be read as male/male as easily as male/female, or if you read 'she' for 'he' as female/female, because I think issues around self esteem and mistrusting people's motives are universal themes.
I also kept the 'body' part of the poem non-sexual, so the reader can think about their own level of comfort with regards to physical intimacy. Also so that while romantic love does seem to be the most obvious theme, I think it's possible to read this as devotion on a non-romantic level.
Communication is a key theme, but I'm not sure it is the best title. As so often happens, I feel the title is the weakest part of the whole.

Comments

[eternal-moonie.livejournal.com]

Absolutely #LOVE# it!!!

[meridian_rose]

Thank you :D

[draconia-99.livejournal.com]

It's beautiful!

[meridian_rose]

Thank you! (And welcome :D)

[hrhrionastar.livejournal.com]

Very intense and emotional. I like how recognizing mutual vulnerability can make the lovers closer.

[meridian_rose]

Thank you :D I was looking for a way to bring it to a hopeful close and this seemed the best way :)

[brontefanatic]

Such a wonderful portrait of a woman/man who cannot believe or accept that they are deserving of love, yet finally makes the leap of faith to open up - only to find that the lover feels the same insecurities. They are more alike than she could ever have known had she not taken the risk.

We are all so fragile.

[meridian_rose]

Thank you :D It was an interesting poem to write.