I Smelt It On Him
Hell hath no fury, etc.
I smelt it on him.
I smelt her on him.
I saw her messages.
I saw her lip-print on his clothes.
I heard him mumble her name in the half-light
I felt the disconnect
I saw it in his eyes
I felt it in the cooling spot next to me in the small hours
I felt it in tingle of distance left on my fingertips
When he pulled away from me
I felt it in the kisses he didn't give
That were going to someone else
I felt the distance growing
I felt it in the pricking of my tears
I felt the gut punch
I felt the disorientation
The bottom dropping from my stomach
From my world
I felt guilty
If I was better
If I was kinder
If I was prettier
If I was
If I was
If I was
If I
If
I tasted the betrayal with my whole body
I smelted it
Into raw red fury
Felt the heat from his blackening clothes
Burning the salt tracks from my face
Fire cleanses
Until there's nothing left of what my love was
Curling away into nothing
Keep your phone close
You never left it unlocked
Or
Unattended
Taking it to the bathroom with you
Run to her
And may you be as happy together as you deserve
I know she'll never
Trust you like I did
Or maybe she is stupid, like you
Run fast and far until I can't smell the stink of your failure any longer
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Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment so I can reciprocate!
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Minor edit to correct the echo
About the Creator
L.C. Schäfer
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I'm not a writer! I've just had too much coffee!
Sometimes writes under S.E.Holz
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More stories from L.C. Schäfer and writers in Poets and other communities.
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Our “Raise Your Voice Threads” are hosted most alternating Thursdays at 12PM ET to offer creators more avenues to uncover exceptional stories on Vocal. As we are continuously searching for fresh creators and inspiring stories, this thread provides an opportunity to exchange and discuss the stories that have moved and motivated us on Vocal.
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Comments (16)
That has to be so hard. I am sorry❤️Thank you for sharing ❤️
This is incredibly well written and captivating. Wow, really impressive
Oh my internal preceptor nerves rage. Great poem LC. 🥰
Wow, that was very good, you can feel the heartbreak!
Burning the salt tracks from my face. This line is brilliant and is my favourite! I hate cheaters!
Nice work 💯❤️‼️
I liked this. I think sometimes people just aren't ready, When they meet the right person they will be ready, At least I hope so. I hope this is not something that happened to you.,
I love this stream of consciousness. It really captures what goes on in your head when a partner is unfaithful. Blaming yourself. And then letting go.
Amazing piece. Really well done.
… and I can smell a poetry Challenge winner 😎
Wow, very powerful and raw.
this is a sad poem, but there are such striking images. i love your way with words L. C.!!!
This is such a heartbreaking and emotional poem, L.C! It’s relatable in the worst sense as you captured raw and sadly familiar emotions with your words. I hope this is fiction because its such a terrible thing to go through and my heart really goes out to you!
Very powerful L.C.!
Oof This one hurt Burned to core in the best possible way
🔥should i be sad or happy to get to read a poem from you?