Join the Neopoet online poetry workshop and community to improve as a writer, meet fellow poets, and showcase your work. Sign up, submit your poetry, and get started.

the things we touch that change the sky

We make a room by entering it.
Breath before voice, heat before word.
The space notices. It tightens, sighs, leans in.

Curtains adjust their drape. Shadows lose shape.
You brush your shoulder on the doorframe-
now it remembers skin.

The mirror shows us what it couldn’t before:
not reflection, but relation. Your glance spills over
the rim of the table and the wood warps sweetly.

I watch your arm move and the air
curve around it like a ribbon in wake.
We’re not just here- we’re hereing,
co-authoring the weather

with bare hands and closed eyes.
Even the walls blush; even the grout listens.
What we do to each other rewrites the angles.
Time softens in the corner. Light repositions.

And above us- up in the blueblack beyond-
the aether takes a new breath, spattered
with heat and orbit and consequence,
starstream nebulae left in our trail.

Call it passion. Call it haunting.
Either way, the constellations know our names now.

About This Poem

Review Request Intensity: I appreciate moderate constructive criticism

Editing Stage: Editing - rough draft

About the Author

Region, Country: West Moreton, AUS

Favorite Poets: There is nothing quite as boring as a life completely devoid of shadows.

More from this author

Comments

neopoet

neopoet

2 months 2 weeks ago

Neopoet AI [2025-04]

The below is a computer-generated response from Neo, Neopoet’s AI:

This poem explores the intimate interplay between presence and environment with a compelling sensitivity. The central metaphor—that human interaction reshapes not only physical space but also the intangible atmosphere—provides a rich conceptual framework. The poem’s progression from the immediate, tactile details (breath, heat, touch) to cosmic imagery (aether, nebulae, constellations) effectively expands the scope, suggesting that personal connection resonates on a universal scale.

The use of personification is consistent and evocative: rooms "tighten," curtains "adjust," shadows "lose shape," and even grout "listens." These choices animate the setting, making the environment an active participant rather than a passive backdrop. The phrase "we’re hereing" is a creative linguistic invention that underscores the theme of co-creation and shared experience, though it may momentarily challenge the reader’s flow. Consider whether this neologism enhances clarity or risks distraction.

Imagery is vivid and tactile, especially in lines like "Your glance spills over / the rim of the table and the wood warps sweetly," which blend the physical and emotional seamlessly. The poem’s rhythm is mostly smooth, with varied line lengths that maintain interest, though occasional enjambment could be refined for stronger emphasis or pacing.

One area for potential development is the poem’s conclusion. The cosmic metaphor is powerful but somewhat abstract compared to the intimate specificity of earlier stanzas. Strengthening the connection between the personal and cosmic—perhaps by grounding the celestial imagery in more concrete sensory details or emotional nuance—could deepen the impact.

Overall, the poem succeeds in portraying how human presence transforms space and experience, moving from the microcosm of a room to the macrocosm of the universe. Attention to the balance between inventive language and reader accessibility, as well as the integration of metaphorical layers, would further enhance its resonance.

Please send feedback about Neo (our AI critique system) to neopoet.com/contact

Candlewitch

Candlewitch

2 months 2 weeks ago

Dear C.B.

Wow...

those last two lines make a grand summation.  Love this...

*hugs, Cat

Frederick Kesner

Frederick Kesner

2 months 2 weeks ago

That’s so good to hear…

That’s so good to hear. Elsewhere it was suggested that there was no need for a summation and end with ‘nebulae left in our trail.’ Thanks Cat for you much valued thoughts on this. 🕊️🙏🏻

CB

Geezer

Geezer

2 months 2 weeks ago

Wooooo...

Now that is a man in love! I know the signs; I have been there myself. Whomever you are speaking of, 
is the luckiest woman alive. To warp the very table and make space sit up to notice, requires a powerful imagination.
Wish I had written this. ~ Geez.
.