Two Ways This Could Go

Two Erotic Poems, One Prompt, Both Ending With You Thinking About Them Later

My poems often surprise me, and that’s what I love about writing. Writing doesn’t happen all at once for me. I usually draft a poem, then leave it alone for a while—days, sometimes weeks. It’s a habit I picked up from years of academic writing, and it works every time.

Stepping away lets me come back with fresh eyes. I notice what’s off, what’s missing, or even what’s surprisingly good. Editing becomes easier, and sometimes two different versions of a poem end up fitting together better than I expected. That’s one of my favorite parts of the process.

I usually add an introduction before I publish a poem on Substack. It helps to give the reader some context, but sometimes a quick intro gives too much away. In those cases, I’ll slip in a note afterward, like a little afterthought.

Once my poems leave my hands, they’re no longer just mine. They enter someone else’s history, someone else’s eroticism, someone else’s quiet pleasure. They take on new meanings, ones I didn’t even plan for. That’s the most exciting part for me: seeing how others interpret them.

Today, I’m doing something a little different. Instead of combining the two poems into one, I am sharing them with you. These two tanka poems both come from the same prompt: “hidden thoughts moving.” But each of these short poems ended up going in totally different directions. Read them slowly, take your time, and let me know which one you think really answered the prompt.

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your breath parts my lips
as twilight melts into me—
hidden thoughts moving,
slow as your tongue on my thigh,
drawing me to ecstasy.

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your touch grasps my throat
soft as breath, tasting of you—
hidden thoughts moving,
deep in the ache of desire,
bent to meet your fantasies.

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Both poems started in the same place and somehow found completely different ways to land, which is honestly my favorite thing about writing. What I'm really curious about is what you took away. Drop it in the comments and tell me which one stirred something, because your thoughts are my favorite kind of foreplay.

Share this with someone who appreciates words that do more than sit pretty on a page, and save the one you'd reread in the dark.

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