It was never the footsteps
you left in the sand by the deck
nor the breadcrumbs
I slept on, night after night.
It wasn’t your scent
of socks that never been washed
nor the way you cackled
whenever I stumbled or fell.
I miss you in vacuum,
in nothing of boredom,
in the lightness of silence,
in the way, I keep walking in circles,
looking at shadows
imagining itch
from your breadcrumbs,
longing for odors of sweat
and merciless scorn.
I miss you like measles,
rodents and scab.
Chronis Botsoglou
Today it’s dVerse OLN and I thought I would write something funny… not sue I succeeded…. see you on the trail. For those I cannot visit tonight I will come around again on Sunday.
February, 4 2021
Björn Rudbergs writings 
I miss you in scab. I love this, and I’m kinda relieved it wasn’t I miss you in scabies. I love the grit of this sadness.
Hahaha, I love this. It’s both humorous and sad, a perfect combination in any poem.
Oh my. Those last two lines made me grimace!
Your “dark” humor stands tall. What an interesting piece. Your narrator goes from milk toast victim to strong individual. Yes, a fun, yet dramatic read.
Wonderful piece, Bjorn! The last two lines killed me. Nicely done!
No absence like the absence of absence, I suppose. Awesome work, Bjorn!
This is incredibly dark and humorous, Bjorn! I enjoyed the transition from “It wasn’t your scent of socks,” to “I miss you like measles,
rodents and scab.” A strong write! 💝
You made me chuckle with this poem, Björn – it’s very down-to-earth and somewhat in the way of the negative poems we’ve written in the past, like ‘This is not a love song’. The lines that made me burst out laughing are:
‘It wasn’t your scent
of socks that never been washed’
and
‘I miss you like measles,
rodents and scab’.
These lines made me feel sad:
‘I miss you…
in the way, I keep walking in circles,
looking at shadows’.
There are some lovely light touches here but the overall message seems quite dark: ‘longing for odors of sweat/and merciless scorn.’ Sounds like a love-hate relationship at best!
You have deftly combined humor with sadness and darkness. Amazing, truly.
“imagining itch” — Yes, this has the feel of an itch that can’t be scratched.
Ah dear Bjorn, Good to be back here… You play with us still, sometimes darkly.. And of course you have the skillls to do it very effectively. Very nice…
Bjorn, I willingly bit into the big red shiny apple and realized the flesh was mushy after a few chews. The poem screams in resonance for me. I wonder which hell is worse — their presence or their absence.
This is sorrowful, longing and beautiful. Makes me think of someone in the anger phase of sorrow.
I am. Ot sure whether I should cry or laugh. Maybe a little of both, which is reality! I remember measles as a child. I hated being sick, but how I miss the attention only measles could have given.
I love this Bjorn. The bit about socks had me chuckling.
Great ending, that did raise the chuckles. Yes, I had measles too as a child. No vaccinations then! Hope all well for you in Sweden Some Spanish sun for you..https://navasolanature.wordpress.com/2021/02/04/february-poem-for-earthweal-time-for-hope-and-healing-for-the-well-being-of-all-on-earth/
there are definitely somethings we would never miss … they exist to remind us to enjoy the wondrous things, the simple moments!
I can smell those socks from here, phew
There comes a point when a person can stand back and look with humour at circumstances which cut us to the bone. I think perhaps you’ve found that place to stand and reshape it with humour. I certainly laughed when I read “I miss you like measles”
This poem is so incredibly relatable. Particularly these fantastic lines:
Loved this.
-David
Awesome dark piece. ” I miss you like measles” – love the down and dirty honesty of it. 🙂
That is gross—but also funny and endearing. 🙂
I feel humor in this, I also feel darkness. The combination works beautifully. Last two lines, made me giggle.
Sounds like you are going crazy being all cooped up in the pandemic!
This brings to mind the scent left behind when a group of teenage boys leaves the room. I don’t know if that is what you were going for.
Gosh, Björn, maybe I’m a bit “off” but I thought this was kind of…romantic. Like loving someone despite all their faults, that even if they annoy you when they are there (like measles, rodents and scab) that you know they serve some type of higher purpose in your life. Are you sure this is not an early Valentine’s Day poem? 😍😉😁
More than just a ‘little’ complicated relationship, the strange details make it even more awesome!
Dark humor indeed! I imagine someone could be lonely and miss even having someone around who mistreated them.
I miss you like measles,
rodents and scab.
Good closing, unusual but tinged with humor!
Hank
Excellent writing.
raw and real in it’s humor and ire. Loved it! 💞
“I miss you like measles and rodents” omg you owe me a new keyboard, because I spittaked all over this one.