C'était sa langue

[aoeclald]

his steam cigarette hung,
limp on his lips
he couldn't get enough of it -
the steam.
it was the air of the city
and the machine
and his lungs.
c'était sa langue.


*NOT FOR THE CHALLENGE* - Just liked the prompt :)

cétait sa langue means "It was his language" in French.

[flux]

Like this, it's moody. This is well written and imaginative, too. Fine work. Enjoyed.

[jwesley]

Now this one I understood . . . nice.

j.

[Sasha]

Ooh, j'aime beaucoup!
I think it has such a powerful delivery and symbolism; if you come to think about this 'steam', and the sum of things and meanings it holds and the employment of that in this piece - that was really impressive!
Great work, and I very much enjoyed the read!

Sash

[aoeclald]

Thanks guys for the responses! I highly appreciate your comments :)

@Sasha - I imagine for a steam-punk alternate reality that this is what steam is to them. The ultimate resource. Not just a way to power their machines, but something that is part of their society, their bodies, and their lifestyle. Perhaps on par with modern money, though less abstract than it. Something they can smoke because they're so addicted.

Luke

[karrie]

I really like the atmospheric feel of this. Well done and congrats on the Spotlight!

[ladymaybebaby]

you should have entered this one! Either way though it's a grand piece of poetry! I love the brevity, yet it still is so full of imagery and it creates a mood I just adore! Wow, just superb.. congratulations on the spotlight! A well deserved honor!

-LMB
xoxo

[LorettaYoung]

Loved the poem; couldn't resist picturing the cigarette dangling from Jean Paul-Belmondo's lips constantly in the French film Breathless. Cogratulations

[Josie]

Nice French touch! Few words made a vivid picture. Congratulations on the TPS Spotlight recognition.

[aoeclald]

Hi all, my computer's been having issues lately so I hope it doesn't shut down on me as I try to write this piece, but I would like to say thanks to you all and trust my computer will give me the time to respond to each of you!

@karrie - Thank you! I was quite surprised (and humbled) to hear that this piece was spotlighted, so I appreciate your warm words.

@LMB - Thank you so much, your words definitely encourage me to continue writing and I'm glad you enjoyed this piece. Maybe I should have entered into the weekly competition, but there's always next time, no regrets! :)

@LorettaYoung - I've been needing something new to watch, perhaps I'll give that movie (if it is, indeed, a movie) a watch and sympathize with your allusion. Thanks for your comments :)

@Josie - Thank you so much! Sometimes the best thing about saying little is that others can fill in the blanks in their own way, and that is where the magic really happens. I merely provide the framework.

@Didn'tKnowItPoet - Thank you, same response as Josie :)

Luke

[everhopeful]

Karrie used the word atmospheric, and that was exactly what came to my mind too - there's something a bit seedy about the image as a whole, one which suggests someone entirely wrapped up in their own world. In this case their own world is a cigarette.
Glad I had the benefit of your reply comments so I realised the challenge theme here, it's an intriguing take on the steampunk genre.
Congratulations on the spotlight!

[aoeclald]

Thank you for your insightful commentary everhopeful.

I can see where you're coming from to deduce that the character of this poem is wrapped up in his own world. It makes a lot of sense to me. The character itself wasn't something that I really developed, though, so perhaps he is wrapped up in his own world or not. He was merely a channel to make sense of the steam cigarette.

Thank you again for the congratulations!
Luke