Farewell Prelude
by Ted Elliot
Wet feet leave imprints
on the frozen floor.
Rousing – a scuzzy slime
coating the throat.
The remnants of cigarettes
and gin. A litter of
damp clothes, forgotten
after a deluge.
A cough, a sneeze and
the sound of pipes
groaning. Everything is
alive today. Nipples
harden in the humid
room. A slow
process today. Still,
the rain makes
symphonies in the
street. Saturated
by whispered words,
a foggy yearning
takes shape. Entering
the turbid room,
there is nothing.
And so,
you’re gone.
Condensation on
the white tiles -
the only thing
you leave
behind.
Farewell Prelude by Ted Elliot is a Blasted Tree original poem