Farewell Prelude

by Ted Elliot

Wet feet leave imprints
on the frozen floor.

Rousing – a scuzzy slime
coating the throat.

The remnants of cigarettes
and gin. A litter of

damp clothes, forgotten
after a deluge.

A cough, a sneeze and
the sound of pipes

groaning. Everything is
alive today. Nipples

harden in the humid
room. A slow

process today. Still,
the rain makes

symphonies in the
street. Saturated

by whispered words,
a foggy yearning

takes shape. Entering
the turbid room,

there is nothing.
And so,

you’re gone.
Condensation on

the white tiles -
the only thing

you leave
behind.

Ted Elliot

Contributing Author

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Farewell Prelude by Ted Elliot is a Blasted Tree original poem