the corkscrew

arqios

 

"The Corkscrew"

 

In the cellar,
green‑glass vessels lean

           against one another,
   their shoulders dust‑padded,
        throats sealed tight.

 

Some wait decades,
stoppered against the tremor of hands
that might one day twist them open.

Others burst early,
foam rushing into the air
as if silence itself were unbearable.

 

Life, too, is a rack of bottles—
some forgotten in the corner,
                labels blurred,
contents thickening into memory.

Others are restless,
pressing against their corks,
                       uncontainable,
a fizz that refuses to be archived.

 

And we—
we are the corkscrews,
spiralling into the grain of our days,
levering against the stubborn seal,
wondering whether release
                         is celebration,
or simply another form of spilling.

 

 

 

 

.

  • Author: crypticbard (Pseudonym) (Offline Offline)
  • Published: October 25th, 2025 05:06
  • Category: Unclassified
  • Views: 15
  • Users favorite of this poem: Devender Kumar
Get a free collection of Classic Poetry ↓

✔ Receive the ebook in seconds ✔ 50 poems from 50 different authors


Comments +

Comments4

  • sorenbarrett

    A wonderful metaphor here Cryptic memories corked some good some not so much, some leak and others age with grace. A most lovely write soft as the dust that covers them inside spirits of unknown value.

    • arqios

      Now the spirit part is the unmentioned essence of it all! Thanks for bringing that into the conversation, Soren. Thanks my dear friend 🙏🏻🕊️

      • sorenbarrett

        Indeed you are always most welcome my friend

      • orchidee

        Yep, I'm a musty, dusty old 'has-been' bottle! Well, I keep saying Goldfinch and I are millions of years old; we were at Hastings 1066; and WE in fact were the first men on the moon way before 1969; etc. lol.

        • arqios

          Ah, 1066! Must be up for a reenactment some time. 🙏🏻🕊️

          • orchidee

            It's just passed - it was Oct 14th!

            • arqios

              Now that's correct... haha... that's what I get for being so remotely located🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤣

              • orchidee

                I forget sometimes that not all poets are in the UK as I am.

              • Goldfinch60

                I always have a corkscrew in my life Rik, it is on the Swiss Army Knife that I have had in my pocket for over fifty years.LOL.

                Andy

                • arqios

                  I've got one in the top kitchen drawer. I used to have a Swiss Army knife. The laws are different here and knife crime is high as well, so no one carries knives on them. 🙏🕊️

                • arqios

                  Thanks for the Fave 🤩 @Devender Kumar 🙏🏻🕊️



                To be able to comment and rate this poem, you must be registered. Register here or if you are already registered, login here.