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Disillusionment

the art of deceiving oneself

By Sarah LennPublished about a year ago 1 min read
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels

You were wearing purple

I recall that it had complimented your eyes

the way your broad shoulders

relaxed when you saw my face peek through

the widening doorway

like 30 years hadn't passed between us

the same charming smile

the same self-assured determination

you still gave tight hugs

~~~

It felt like magic then

our conversations flowed freely

the familiarity of someone who had

known me when my heart was still

whole and my soul untethered

I relished in your attentive support

the colors around me sharpening

your purple now with depth and highlights

iridescent, like a dragon's wing

~~~

I don't know when I first began

to notice the contradictions

small flakes of dried paint appeared

on the floor

I would sweep them away and note

the oddity

their presence appeared only after

catching glimpses of unlike colors on you

sometimes red

often black

gone in the next blink

but you were wearing purple

I must have been mistaken

~~~

It was only later

that I saw it-

speckles of purple paint on my fingertips

It had been a while since I looked

at myself and not at you

a long while since unhindered sleep came easily

and longer still since mindfulness was a daily exercise

There it was-

the empty spray paint can in my other hand

"Purple Haze"

by the time my gaze returned to yours

there was no trace of purple left in you

Free Verse

About the Creator

Sarah Lenn

Using writing as a way to capture snapshots of emotion on a screen whilst life happens. And life has thrown me some curve balls. Always striving to find a path through the chaos...

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Comments (4)

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  • T. Licht10 months ago

    love how you twisted purple into this poem, it's so creative and different that it really keeps you hooked until the very end. Great Poem!

  • L.I.Eabout a year ago

    Love the symbolism, such an amazing writer.

  • You are an amazing writer, I loved this, the play with colours, the purple, the complexity and tone. Truly in awe of your poetry.

  • Poppy about a year ago

    I loooveee the symbolism in this and the journey from infatuation to realisation and awareness. 'small flakes of dried paint appeared on the floor I would sweep them away and note the oddity' That's sooo well written!

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