Friday Fictioneers * Rochelle Wisoff-Fields * Photo by Maria Gail Stratford *
Morning-After Vertigo * 85 words * Angela Shaffer * 1 Apr 2016
Morning-After Vertigo
Wind whipped tangled locks,
traces of late-night havoc still
clinging to the skin. Seeping
regret tinged red and green –
jealous as an itch on missed flesh.
The edge altered reality, tilting
the grip, slipping the step, blurring
the hold – slighting gravity.
Double the trip and let the mind
dip farther past matter. Stretch out,
reaching, grasping, swiping –
pregnant as a pause on hushed lips.
If tottered too far up the steep sweeping
stoop – binge on delusion in last fleeting
moments. Until the bottom comes quick.
~ Hello dear Readers and Writers …
Thank you, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for fun Friday fiction. Thank you, Maria Gale Stratford for the photo.
Since April is Poetry Month, I crafted a few lines inspired by how dizzy I got thinking how high up the building was – and how much further the Marriott stretches. I saw a party-girl waking up disoriented and curious, foolishly teetering on the edge – the edge of the building and the edge of decency.
Click the Frog to read diverse interpretations of this photo prompt from Friday Fictioneers writers.
Thank you for reading!
@MmePhilosopher
curiouser contemplations 
I enjoyed your poetry take on this picture. It reminds me of a scene from Forrest Gump, when Jenny is on the edge of some boyfriends of hers balcony, probably high on something and considering jumping from the apartment. The last line of your poem is simple profound “until the bottom comes quick” if your party girl trips or jumps.
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Thank you, MandiBelle! Yes! <>it worked 🙂 Forrest Gump’s Jenny is perfect example.
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I loved the thought in “the edge altered reality”. For me, the power of this pares down to that line
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<>excellent, I wanted “the edge” to represent the physical limits as well as make a person consider the authority of observation, or realizing one has gone too far. Thanks for the comment, NeilMacDon!
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Ouch, nice descriptions of the sense of vertigo. Nice poem!
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Thank you, Draliman!
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The red and green regret brings back memories – nicely done!
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i know, right…lol
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Very beautifully written!
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Thank you, Dale!
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Well done. I don’t think I’d chose the edge of a building if I was suffering vertigo. Dangerous. —– Suzanne
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True…but I don’t think party-girls really sort out their thoughts, if they have any left.
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That is a scary ending. Having been a party girl for a few minutes in my youth, I’d hate to see a moment of indiscretion create such lasting damage.
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Indeed, Alice! Thank you for the comment. I know when asked if I’d “go back to my twenties” my answer is always “No way, I may not survive another time thru!”
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