invisible groom
an epistolary poem
Dear whiskey,
I never spoke my vows to you.
I never pledged my loyalty to your fraudulent glow of
glass jar fireflies, that twinkling trap of revelry,
because I've never known a feeling more lonely
than when you reach for me. So I'm sure that
I never invited you to my bed, yet frozen here I lie
in your sweat-yellowing linen embrace, while I
stay awake thinking about the looped-wire snare
that you hang nightly in the fucking air, ready to trap
any of my words born with necks thick enough
to tangle up. And hey, you can't commit to a dead thing, so
I know I never slid a ring over the sour foul finger on
the left hand that rots in my kitchen overnight and
slashes my nostrils like broken glass on bare feet
those mornings when he’s still asleep and I'm
up first, opening the blinds to let some light in.
But you're cleverest when you're gone,
and so too is the bone-tight corset you dress me in,
because just one sharp breath will surprise me, reminds me,
your creeping absence was only a clear day in spring and,
like lightning in the rain—
when I hear thunder,
I know I'll see you again.
In wait,
A reluctant bride.
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Reader insights
Outstanding
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Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
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Original narrative & well developed characters
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
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The story invoked strong personal emotions
Comments (16)
Powerfully evocative & thoroughly depressing. I do believe you've captured the alcoholic's plight perfectly.
This is so powerful I am genuinely in awe. The imagery is so vivid and emotive. It's so deep and dark, almost gothic. I really adored this.
The emotional depth of this line," I never pledged my loyalty to your fraudulent glow of glass jar fireflies, that twinkling trap of revelry," speaks so much. ❤️
Morgana... I am sorry to say that I am utterly speechless. Breathless and frozen in the wake that was left by this masterpiece! I wish I had a more sincere or detailed comment about how incredible this piece was. But as I have said, you have left me utterly speechless! So heartbreaking and beautiful! 💜
I thought this was fantastic.
This feels like your most personal poem, yet I don’t want to believe it is because it’s so heavy. Either way, you’ve created something that many will identify with, and managed to do it so artistically.
Morgana, your writing is always so incredible. And writing a poem where the concept is being married to alcohol is such a unique view (at least to me it is). Your imagery is spectacular, and your words are devastating in the best way. Great job!
I've circled back around the read this a few times now. Everytime it burrows under my skin a little more. There are more then a few layers within the poem (or atleast in how I'm reading it) ... It's really great. Bravo, Morgana.
Morgana, this is stunning and I imagine I'll be coming back to say congrats on Top Story soon! I felt every single word of this! I've had addiction problem of a different kind and my dad had alcoholism issues, so I totally get it.
THIS is SO impressive! Seriously, wow. I felt this one, deeply... ahhh, dear whiskey.
Oh my. This is excellent. Well done.
Wow - this is an astonishing poem. Bravo 👏
a powerful exploration of addiction and its hold on the human psyche.
Excellent string of words... And relatable too, for me that is. I've been divorced from vodka for a while now. This was a great subject for the challenge!
Oh boy, this hits deep!
Oh I really liked the way this unfolded. I've been the reluctant bride of a different brand. Well done :)