Jemima Hughes
One Night Stand
Boom, boom, boom.
My heart.
Echoing your knock, knock, knock.
My eyes dart at the clock.
You're late.
I make you wait.
For all of fifteen seconds
as I straighten up my hair that's already straight.
I push down the handle
along with my eagerness.
A creak, mimicking my self-questioning,
adrenaline rushes to my blushing cheeks.
Eyes of intent greet me.
Your air of arrogance enters before you,
passing my self-control making its swift exit,
this is no Brexit.
“Drink?”
“After the day I've had? Absolutely!”
I haven't had that kind of day
but you don't need to know that, this small talk is only in the way.
If dignity came served in a tumbler, over ice, with a slice
and tasted like, “Kraken?”
“You brought Rum? Sweet!”
then I would drink it neat.
But my dignity slips away
as seamlessly as the liquor wonders astray
into my bloodstream.
You're ready to play.
I noticed you scan my body
with those plunge pool eyes,
they're black right?
Funny, so are mine.
I spent just enough time making myself look fine,
just enough effort to look hot plus a little extra effort
to make it look like I haven't had to make the effort
to look this hot.
Your weakness was emphasised
when your plunge pool eyes stopped at my thighs.
The upper handed to me, I'm in control
but you intended me to be,
didn't you?
You're unaware of my reasoning but for that I thank you.
It might be the Kraken telling me to krack on
but I'm all ears,
inhibitions disappear,
our chemistry shifting up a gear.
As our movements intensify
our bodies become further intertwined,
my effervescence screaming availability,
the perfect cover for my harboured hostility.
Your focus is pinpointed
on my agility,
my not so graceful motion
and my gnarly flexibility.
I was hooked when you lifted me
off of my feet.
Those thighs, you remember? They gripped you.
We both felt the heat.
Since that moment I was planning my retreat.
I parallel my libidinous temperament with yours,
overflowing temptation encouraging me to explore,
pressure passes from my body to yours,
I privately question how much longer I can endure.
I can feel the intoxication
but I can't gauge the cause.
It could be you, the rum
or the fear of unloosing my most substantial flaw.
All is not as it appears
but you're tantalising my every sense
even through swallowed tears
so I persevere.
Because I am worthy of this liberation,
your generosity and stimulation,
but my mind is rejecting your invitation
and I'm writhing away into my foreseen damnation.
I feel as though I'm choking on my extreme palpitations,
the adrenaline that flushed my cheeks has now activated a fight or flight flirtation,
as I attempt to convince my mind that this is not an obligation,
you’re reading my body language and sense my hesitation.
We both retract.
That trigger word, “Relax.”
I shake and I shake off my unwelcome flashback,
a colossal drawback
of being damaged goods.
To feel like your body has been hijacked.
This is shaping up to be one spectacular
anti-climax.
About the poem 'One Night Stand'
My poem 'One Night Stand' is a very honest and raw piece about the lasting effects trauma can have on a person. Experiencing sexual abuse in my past has affected my future relationships, and means that intimate situations aren't always as straight forward as they should be. Having spoken to others with similar experiences, I've learnt that this isn't something specific to me but relatable for other people too. Flashbacks are a very real thing and they have no decorum.
'One Night Stand' is published in my debut poetry collection 'Unorthodox' published with Verve Poetry Press.
Bio
Sit back and don't relax. A multi slam winner and runner up in the 2020 UK Slam! Jemima Hughes is a performance poet who will drag you through the “mindfield” of the unorthodox. Her work emphasises mental health awareness and covers taboo subjects such as sexual violence, mental illness and suicide. Jemima will take you on a journey through her own experiences, providing a relatable outlet and encouraging conversation. Always a gripping performance, she will leave you questioning whether she meant to do that, or whether she needs to go and have a lie down. Not for the faint hearted, but definitely from the heart.
Jemima’s debut poetry collection ‘Unorthodox’ is published with Verve Poetry Press.
