The Burnt Match

Contributor: Cynthia B Pitman

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Careless, we make eye contact.
We instinctively look away.
We should listen to that instinct
and stop. right. there.
A connection, however brief,
is always too dangerous.
The spark from the static
of that split-second coupling
ignites a wildfire of ecstasy.
But this one quick breath of a bond,
this unexpected reckless consummation,
this blinding climax that sates
the ache of loneliness
that claws us raw inside
will ultimately consume us
as it consumes itself,
leaving nothing in its wake
but the cold ashes of isolation.


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I am a retired English teacher. I began writing again after 30 years of teaching. My poetry collection, The White Room, is forthcoming from Kelsay Books.