Edward Lee’s poetry, short stories, non-fiction and photography have been published in magazines in Ireland, England and America, including The Stinging Fly, Skylight 47, Acumen and Smiths Knoll.  His debut poetry collection “Playing Poohsticks On Ha’Penny Bridge” was published in 2010. He is currently working towards a second collection.
He also makes musical noise under the names Ayahuasca Collective, Lewis Milne, Orson Carroll, Blinded Architect, Lego Figures Fighting, and Pale Blond Boy.
His blog/website can be found at https://edwardmlee.wordpress.com

THOSE ILLICIT DAYS

How many times
we risked it all,
falling asleep
after sex, the possibility
of a key
in the door,
the sound of vows
shattered. But
we were luckier
than we truly deserved,
and woke undisturbed,
dining on each other again,
until one of us
had to leave,
depending upon the bed
we lay in
on that particular day;
 
what fools we were,
drunk on a love
that did not allow for guilt,
what wonderful fools,
right up until an end
we refused to foresee.

DESIRE

With something like a endless sigh
we shed our public skins
and gave into deeper needs,
our lips stretched and
our teeth shining
as we ate each other
until there was no inch
of us left
to consume,
 
then we fell away,
sweat painted and sated,
only eager now
to breathe, breathe, and savour
the gentle sound
of our bodies recovering
so we might,
sometime soon,
shed our skins again.

WASTED

We fell asleep as sated lovers,
but woke as broken strangers,
afraid to meet each other's eyes,
barely confident enough
to grunt a hello, let alone
the inevitable goodbye;
 
mirrored nods
of the head, wavy smiles
and a watery hug,
then the door closing
on my tender-skinned back,
and I step forward and away,
make my way home
for food and a shower
before another indifferent day begins
its sluggish progress
around my lonely form.