How to Fall in Love at First Sight
Beginner's guide
Never prepare for serendipity.
Treat it like a steamy dream
you didn’t see coming;
or the disappearance
of your watch, at the magicians
snap of his wand.
But first fix the fissures
in your crumbling heart.
Wear a helmet, earplugs, and dark glasses;
better still, stay home and lock the doors.
Or catch a bus, read your texts:
Drinks? 7.30?
*
Arrive at work, arrive late, call in sick.
Delete those photos.
We’ve moved on now.
Note to self: What I’m grateful for today is
being single.
Walk through a crowd and notice yourself
not noticing that you’re being noticed.
*
Be silly, try on tiaras, be serious,
sign a petition.
Do all the normal things that someone
not looking for love would do.
Watch a sit-com for company
and never prepare for serendipity.
Or
You could plan, plot a journey
from A to B.
Attach your wings to get there quick.
Wear red lipstick, Chanel No5.
Decide the venue, what to wear?
Buy candles, black lace;
No. Nude lace. Ivory,
then run the duster
over the tube of lube and
make your list,
prepare for serendipity.
*
Next, pull on joggers, old sweater,
ditch the make-up & hair routine. Preparations
must be made. Quick.
Leave the dirty dishes, slam the door,
head towards the mall for supplies.
On the way succumb to the call of coffee;
for energy you tell yourself, but quick quick quick.
*
Ping goes the door as you open it,
card at the ready to pay. Oops!
You knock into a hand that holds a steamy latte;
you feel its hot milky wetness spread
like a map over your sweater.
Everyone sees. You notice them notice you
as you stand there, like the subject
against a bokeh blur
until you too begin
to
fade.
You
only just
hear a
voice
that you want
to hear again and again,
'Are you OK, can I help?'
You look up,
you should have prepared for serendipity.
* * *
About the Creator
Teresa Renton
Inhaling life, exhaling stories, poetry, prose, flash or fusions. An imperfect perfectionist who writes and recycles words. I write because I love how it feels to make ink patterns & form words, like pictures, on a page.
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More stories from Teresa Renton and writers in Poets and other communities.
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The room didn’t smell like disinfectants. Its fragrance seemed light and not overbearing. A soft mixture of lavender and mint permeated the space. No beeping machines or any tubes hooked up to four-year-old Kaleeka. Her cacao skin seemed to glow from the light over her head. The family, save for one and the doctors and nurses exited the room like a trail of saints showing their last vestiges of regard.
By Skyler Saunders6 days ago in Fiction
Comments (6)
You should have prepared for serendipity what a fantastic way to end a fantastic poem
"Serendipity" is one of my favorite holiday movies. You should always be prepared for the person reaching for the same pair of gloves as you.
Beautifully written. So many wonderful lines but I loved the image of the coffee spilling ito a map on her sweater. And the last line made me smile. No matter how hard we try ... there is always a curve ball.
Well, it appears everyone wants their choice to be Poppy's choice. Thius was a great entry, hoping Mckenzie gets her wish. But you got some serious competition, I juat read Paul's.
Damn, Teresa, if this doesn't win Poppy's challenge, I will be so upset! Incredible to see it come full circle, and the journey to get there is so enjoyable, so interesting, and full of little moments that I just LOVE. This bit: "You knock into a hand that holds a steamy latte; you feel its hot milky wetness spread like a map over your sweater. Everyone sees. You notice them notice you as you stand there, like the subject against a bokeh blur until you too begin to fade." ---"Like a map" is my favorite part of this. There's so much said there, the fact that it's a map and not something else that would catch someone's eye, but then it also implies that there's a journey that's just beginning with that coffee being spilled. The shoulder too, something to touch and examine...Wow. I could not stop thinking about "Serendipity" the movie, which is one of my favorites. You did such a great job on this poem, I am literally missing it as I'm writing this, lol.
Ahhh I absolutely love this. I don't even know where to start. I love how it tells a story through instructions. The super impactful 'Or' midway through was used so masterfully. 'notice yourself not noticing that you’re being noticed' was a wonderful line and I love how you wove in its opposite later. The way the lines shorten to just one or two words near the end is sooo effective, I can't even explain the extent of it. Like I felt like time was speeding up and slowing down all at once just reading that. And the ending, oh my, it was marvelous. I can't even explain how good it was. I really, really enjoyed this Teresa!