Sadie Smith Poet Free verse

The temperature of a memory

A memory seared into my mind with the rose red tint of desire,
The hazy flush of too much, too soon. 

I crawl into the car after you 
our figures crowding the tenebrous space
My drunken gaze stumbles upon 
your hair
short brown strands my fingers itch to explore 

My eyes drift to your face 
and a flush brightens my cheeks
Beautiful and stagnant
Infinite and untouchable
The curve of your nose
The secrets held in your smile lines 

Shadows dance to grace 
your delicate features
I, too, would die 
to trace the lengths of your lips 

Dizzy with lust and unspoken words
i lay my head on your shoulder
Heat burns where our skin touches 
scorching and dangerous

You place a hand on my leg 
impartial to the cross delicate on my collarbones 
and my skin sears and blackens 
even eight months later I still see the outline 
of a winter intertwined

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Beata Agustin August 28, 2026 at 4:41 AM Thanks for sharing this... exposing your thoughts through your unique poetic style. Welcome to Poetry Soup. I welcome you with the love of the Lord, expressed by John 3:16 of the Bible, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Be blessed.

Alison A Smith August 25, 2026 at 1:41 AM This free-verse poem captures adolescent desire with striking physical immediacy. The title is especially effective: heat becomes both sensual and destructive, carrying through the imagery of burning, scorching, searing, and blackening. Fragmented observations of the beloved’s face and the close, enclosed car setting create a hazy, intoxicated intimacy, while the final image gives the encounter lasting emotional consequence. The movement from longing to danger feels natural and haunting.