raised chemise

the fragrance of distilled lavender and anise rival

ripe plums and cherry-picked pinch

a sprig of rosemary and touch of juniper, slipped away thyme and glossed gaze on

cerise-threaded cheeks

parallel paced heartbeats

through sheer lace and hot skin

glazed with buttermilk and honeycomb

entrenched in the ghosting of fingertips on throat

relished in a touch's remnant mirrored of eternal redwood

deepest ruffles of gilded silk richer than darkest cacao

hoisted above hips fitted perfectly into a cupped palm

accompaniment of crescent marks bitten into bittersweet apricot

slashed valance whose wrinkles resemble torn petals

from neck's nape to rosehip

suckled dandelion stem and nectar indulgence akin to avarice

breathed words strung through thick air

echoed to morning mist drapes

where the taste of sharp citrus tang

and palm-mapled spearmint

still lingers on my lips.