The silence of after
is never
the drabness of drought
in a colorless sky
or tethered forevers
of echoing whys (?)
The silence of after
are shadows of laughter
spilled on the soil,
the reek of lingering sighs
and traces of lipstick
left on the edge of regret.
The silence of after
is never and now.
Linked to the Tuesday Platform at toads.
—
July 9, 2019
Björn Rudbergs writings 
That after feels as permanent as the grave. But it’s a haunted one. A person could go mad following those ghosts and ignoring the reality around them.
Simply beautiful, Bjorn.
This is heart wrenching Bjorn.
This is so sweet….and tightly written. I really love traces of lipstick
left on the edge of regret.
So dark and sad. The traces of lipstick tells a lot.
I am all too familiar with the silence of after.
I now keep well away from situations which would result in it happening again.
Perfectly captured the after .. and silence !
Test
Sorry Björn. Errant post.
There is a beautiful ache in this poem.
“are shadows of laughter
spilled on the soil,
the reek of lingering sighs
and traces of lipstick”
Whew… so hard to forget…. Loved this bleak, sad poem.
the silence of after… oh that’s haunting… and sadly too real.
Well paired stanzas and a sharp observation. Only poetry can get to what’s further inside the coating of an intimacy.
‘traces of lipstick left on the edge of regret’ …. wow, that spoke volumes to me.
Oh,this is so powerful, so bleak, Björn
“the silence of after” Goodness that has a world of meaning
“the reek of lingering sighs
and traces of lipstick
left on the edge of regret.”
Those are such a beautiful lines! Really enjoyed this…
kaykuala
The silence of after
are shadows of laughter
Yes, there is a fair balance in life that takes over when things appear to be out of turn
Hank
The silence of after
is never and now.
Sad but true.
This pierced my heart. Thank you for writing this heartbreaking truth.
You are missed. I hope you’re ok.
Just vacation … I’m back the coming week.
Glad you had a chance for vacation, Bjorn. See you soon on the poetry trail.