Sweet Blood
Charlie Pettigrew
Mosquitos drink your nectar,
then slumber in the shadows.
You have sweet blood.
I too know the sweetness
of your nature. The brush
of your hand on my tousled head,
your warm fingers,
fixing the collar of my coat,
as we make our entrance
into the sunlight.
I think of these things
as I watch an old woman in the street.
She is clutching a large vase of flowers.
The air is humid, sticky.
Oppressive.
Mosquito weather.
The red flower heads brush her cheeks.
She is smiling into the middle distance.
A smile redolent of memory,
for herself alone,
but flooding the heart of a stranger
with the sweet blood of love.
Charlie Pettigrew began writing poetry in late 2019 after a career in teaching. His poems are often inspired by memories of Ireland and living in Barcelona.