Exes and Fires
I looked at you through the dissipating smoke. Your eyes have turned gray with age but the hint of smile never left them. As nostalgia sat between us, I wondered in silence why we didn’t last. What went wrong?
I thought of the day we decided to call it quits. There was no shouting in the room, just a sigh. A deep breath that freed us from the shackles of a failing relationship. We knew it was coming. The end was long overdue.
Your mouth curved into a smile as you stubbed out the cigarette in an ashtray. You probably can read my mind. You always did. So I threw the question out and heard your answer that mirrored my own: “We were each other’s fire.”
Two flickering sparks
Colliding into a fire
On a moonlit night
Image Source: Favim
In response to dVerse’s Poetics: The End hosted by Paul Scribbles.
This evening I want you to think about ‘THE END.’ What does that phrase mean for you ? The end of life as we know it? The end of the road? The end of a relationship? The end of a job? The end of the poem? The end of the beginning? The beginning of the end? The possibilities are END-less 😉
Head over here to join the fun!
DoodleScribbles 
August 2, 2017 at 9:49 pm
why we didn’t last. What went wrong?…this is what is usually being asked by everyone ending a relationship…you captuted that feeling in such a few words Maria..
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August 3, 2017 at 1:04 pm
I couldn’t agree more, Mich. I still wonder though if those with unanswered whys ever had a real closure…
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August 3, 2017 at 8:53 pm
I wonder too chuck..
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August 3, 2017 at 8:54 pm
**** maria** lol** old age
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August 2, 2017 at 11:24 pm
I liked the observation, “We were each other’s fire.”
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August 3, 2017 at 1:04 pm
Thank you, Frank. 🙂
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August 2, 2017 at 11:34 pm
Love the almost sultry mood of this. Sad, accepting survival.
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August 3, 2017 at 1:13 pm
Acceptance, yes. Thank you, Sarah..
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August 3, 2017 at 12:10 am
Each other’s fire…potential for a roaring success or inferno of destruction I guess…wonderful image to play with.
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August 3, 2017 at 1:14 pm
I am still playing between the two choice, Paul. Thank you. Glad you enjoyed this. 🙂
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August 3, 2017 at 12:36 am
An excellent and imaginative haibun Maria. Will the flames carry on burning?
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August 3, 2017 at 1:16 pm
Thank you, D. And that I do not know yet. Rekindling the fire or putting it out. Hmm.. 🙂
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August 3, 2017 at 1:14 am
Freeing, sometimes that is how the end feels. I like the image of the cigarette being stubbed out.
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August 3, 2017 at 1:21 pm
Glad to hear that, Lynn. Thank you.. And yes, this is where some endings turns to new beginnings start. 🙂
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August 3, 2017 at 2:09 am
“Each other’s fire” … a glorious combustion of flame, brief, followed by dying embers. Destined for ashes. Sad.
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August 3, 2017 at 1:23 pm
Aww.. love you interpretation Beverly. The ashes. Ah, that is indeed a sad scene to think of.
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August 3, 2017 at 5:06 am
A really nice haibun. I loved the lines about being able to read each other’s thoughts even after a long time apart. The fire is stubbed out but some connection remains.
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August 3, 2017 at 1:59 pm
Aww, thank you. Happy you liked this piece. 🙂
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August 3, 2017 at 6:17 am
Interesting that a ‘sigh’ can epitomize an ending. Better a sigh, than angry feelings. Nicely written, Maria. ❤
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August 3, 2017 at 3:15 pm
I couldn’t agree more… Happy to hear your thoughts. 🙂 ❤
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August 3, 2017 at 6:45 am
i don’t know why our culture fears death so, ending relationships is so … naturally. We love, we cry, we sigh. And we don’t trouble much thinking about the ghosts of past loves. They just are. Fire and fire, of course!
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August 3, 2017 at 3:18 pm
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Brendan. There are all kinds of reasons for this fear. Some fear the ending while some fear of starting over again.
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August 3, 2017 at 9:18 am
My my my, Maria–SO GOOD!!
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August 3, 2017 at 3:18 pm
Thank you so much, Jael. ❤
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August 4, 2017 at 2:13 am
Much welcome ❤
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August 3, 2017 at 11:39 am
Beautifully written. I could easily see myself sitting nearby watching how this all played out. They know each other so well and calmly reached the same conclusion. Sad, but life is that way sometimes.
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August 3, 2017 at 3:21 pm
Aww… I’m watching the scene with you Jessie. Truly, some endings are sad– hopefully, for maybe just a while. Thank you very much. 🙂
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August 13, 2017 at 12:18 am
Oh that WERE gave that ending. Ugh. So so so vivid. Love the closing haiku a lot!
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