Conjured by Sarah Doughty
“The memory of your skin against mine
haunts me at night.”
We burned hotter than the sun and then in the blink of an eye, we fizzled out like a broken, dead star. The memory of your skin against mine haunts me at night. At least the memories keep me warm.
© Sarah Doughty
2016
Sometimes, it’s the little things
that get me the most.
“Sometimes, when I dream, I wonder if
the outcome of this nightmare
will ever change.”
It was there in the shadows, over your shoulder, lurking, waiting for its moment to strike. I met its eyes and I felt its intentions, the rage, and the way it slithered around like snakes, shrouded in the darkness. You froze, catching the look on my face. “Don’t look behind you,” I whispered.
But it wasn’t you that replied. “Too late,” it said in response before dragging you away. That was the last time I saw you.
© Sarah Doughty
2016
Sometimes, when I dream,
I wonder if the outcome
of this nightmare
will ever change.
“Little by little, it happened.
I fell for you and the rest was history.”
Little by little, it happened. At first, we fought like dogs and you drove me wild with anger, but it was never really anger that I felt. It was passion. I was mad with it. And though it took me forever to realize what you meant to me, you waited for me to see that it wasn’t a risk I was taking in loving you. It was right. It was magical. And it was pure. Not only was it the best thing that would ever happen to me, but it was what made us whole. For that, you will always be my savior and hero. All in one incredible piece.
© Sarah Doughty
2016
I fell for you
and the rest was history.
“The beauty of magic is having
second chances. To prove that a love
like ours knows no bounds.”
Magic lies within the soul, the thing that allows us to breathe. To feel. To be. It’s almost tangible, like the grainy sweetness of a pear, or the gentle rippling of a body of water. It’s the freedom to choose your path and live with the choices you’ve made. But it’s also understanding when you’re wrong, and doing something about it. The beauty of magic is having second chances. To prove that love knows no bounds. That our hearts can find each other in the dark. And it can restore your faith in the magic we share.
© Sarah Doughty
2016
A love like ours
knows no bounds.
“Don’t let anyone dictate what you share
with the world. Life is worth exploring.”
There’s beauty in the world, there’s beauty in life — the good and the bad. Writing about these things isn’t trash. That’s not honoring your beliefs. It would feel like a dishonor to shun everything about life that makes us human beings. Don’t think your words are less important because they aren’t necessarily about a higher power. Life, feeling, and just being are worth exploring.
© Sarah Doughty
2016
Don’t let anyone
dictate what you share
with the world.
Life is far too
complex for a
narrow view.
“I was petrified of losing you,
so I tried not to love you. I fell anyway.”
I was petrified of losing you as if you were never more than a mirage, so I kept you out. And like the pieces of a chessboard, you took all my defenses and rearranged them, setting new rules. Before I knew it, you found your way in and I was left bared and vulnerable. But you never once hurt me. You wrapped yourself inside all that pain and separation to stand bastion, protecting me. It was far better than living with it all alone.
© Sarah Doughty
2016
I tried not
to love you,
but I fell anyway.
“I was born to love you,
I know that now.”
I was born to love you, I know that now. After everything that brought us to this point, you were the one I prayed for when I was little, cursed, lost, broken, and unworthy. You were my knight, just a few decades late.
© Sarah Doughty
2016
You are here.
That makes all
the difference.
“I’m haunted by all we were,
all we could have been,
and everything we lost.”
If I could take it all back, all the wrong things I ever said, all at the wrong time, those unexpected moments where I bared my soul, I would. In those moments, I was vulnerable, hypnotized by your gaze as it locked with mine. At the time it was exhilarating, to feel you and how those deep eyes saw right through me. But now, I wish I could rewind and stop you from knocking down my defenses and shield myself from the pain of losing you. But I can’t. And I’m haunted by your memory. Haunted by all we were, all we could have been, and everything we lost.
© Sarah Doughty
2016
Are you haunted too?
“You were the empty space between worlds.
A darkness I no longer needed.”
After a millenia of memories, cast into the universe, I gathered each one in the palm of my hand. Every star was an epic love, every planet, a hope of something new, every moon, a dream turned into reality. Everything else — the infinite expanse of darkness — was where you belonged. I squeezed out every last bit of your darkness until nothing remained but light.
© Sarah Doughty
2106
Nothing remained
but light.
“And this is what it’s like
to be in your arms.”
Tonight, I soared in the blue-gray clouds that blanketed the sky like a shroud. The warm summer air rippled through my hair and tinged every inch of my flesh. I wasn’t trembling from fear. It was the excitement. The sheer thrill of being in the sky, touching those misty giants, and bathing in the moon’s soft glow.
© Sarah Doughty
2016
And this is what it’s like
to be in your arms.
