purple
he poured
blue listerine into a bottle
and turned it purple
with a word.
she drank.
he watched
as scarlet lips
turned puce and cracked in pain.
that’s good, very good
he said
as he took her photo
before the colour
could leech away.
that purple polaroid
lives in his pocket.
he’ll carry it with him
forever.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
the next morning
he stared at the camera
sepia tired
after a night of foggy dreams
spiked by frost
she ignored him
grazed on crisp grass
licked her thick lips
with thoughtful tongue
minding the sensation
his eyes
beneath a tree
bisected
brushed to one side
and on the other
between the previous ghosts
and the sign of the bush of holly
they passed
* Catherine Edmunds’ literary style is encapsulated in the title of her poetry collection wormwood, earth and honey. Her artwork veers between delicate portraiture, exploding dogs and decomposing toads – and is also featured in the new Anomalous Appetites anthology mentioned earlier today.
www.freewebs.com/catherineedmunds/
