His arm outstretched on the bar top so long
Defining wood grain has marked his skin with deep welts, lines,
Semi-permanent tattoos, depicting the aching magnetism
Of old fashioned, warm amber, honeyed,
Pain relief. Waiting.
Just beyond his fingertips, though never beyond his grasp.
d’Verse quadrille (44 word poem) prompt: magnetic (in any form)
Jo-Anne Teal, Writer 
Such a beautiful colo-r warm ambered, honeyed. I think all pain relief are temporary, fleeting. One either lives with pain or numbs it with other activities.
Yes, numbing may be the only option for some.
Ah…..people meet grief in different ways. Some hope the bottle, the amber liquid burning down the throat can burn the pain away. The problem with that is, one always comes to and the pain is felt anew.
Yes, and I somehow feel having to feel the pain again, anew as you say, is a cruelty of life.
The amber of ale can bring relief to your pain, but often it’s like running toward a cliff to escape a monster you can’t see. Love how you describe his arm on the countre.
Thank you so much for commenting, Björn. I’m late with my thanks but it means a great deal to me when I see your name on my blog. Your comment is thoughtful indeed.
WOW. This is such a vivid image, Jo-Anne. Your descriptions here are fantastic. I can see him. I feel for him. I hope he finds hope in other, more solid, places.
Thank you for your kind words. I got the image of the wood grain imprint on his arm and it just seemed to suit the wonderful prompt.
The image is so vivid and i really like your presentation of the message. A powerful piece!
Thanks so much, Mish. It was a great prompt word. I wanted to try taking it to a darker setting.