It had always begun the same,
innocent enough,
it began with coffee.
Before you knew it
innocent strolls,
sidewalk banter and office breaks.
Office breaks turned
to confessions,
of love over lunch
Peruvian Chicken with steamed rice.
The chicken was good,
but the love was served too late.
It had made us sick
All of us, even
the ones not invited to lunch.
No one promised to be there, except the rain.
In the October downpour she choked on the afternoon light.
Too bright to take it all in.
Her eyes were wide open in momentary wisdom.
Her fear had faded to wonder as she rested her damp
head to his sweaty chest.
The sunlight struck her face like a spotlight
and she meditated on the rise and fall of his breath.
It would be hard to hold onto this man
it would be best to let him go and not to bother,
let the moment float away from the fairytale with this one
he was not capable, too much flesh to explore, too young
She sighed away the kisses from the previous evening,
and allowed the freedom of her breath to separate from his.
She exhaled into the force of nature and mourned nothing.
Tiny promises splattered against the window pane
and streaked the glass like memories
as she dissolved into the light’s dust.
The Bend in The Road
Let’s try this again.
I’ll meet you at the bend.
There will be roses and
other flowers in bloom.
The dust will be high,
to challenge the mood,
maybe, we’ll have smoke
or a thick misty fog
something for drama to
build the suspense.
I’ll stand in the road
you stand at the fence
both are at the bend in the road.
The scent of the roses
will hit first
and memories of walks
and talks and passion
will return
“oh, I remember the
park when we laid in
the grass.”
“I remember the
rain as it fell
on our heads.”
“The smell of the
douglas trees in the woods.”
At the bend in the road
when the dust settles
the mist blows away
and the smoke dissipates
We will see each other
standing as we promised.
You will know me but
I wont know you.
I had two loves
both walked away
commitments not meant for me.
Who was the real one
I never can say
but one will show
at the bend in the street.
I wanted you most
to be by my side
but it’s the one with
the courage that decides to arrive.
I don’t know you
but you know me
and its at the bend in the road
where we finally meet.
I had dreamt I found a time machine
and it took me back before there were
children or wives.
It took me to you.
To a place where we both had been,
but never met.
I knew exactly where to find you
from all the stories you had told me
I knew exactly what to say.
You looked at me perplexed and intrigued
how could I know so much about you
how come it felt we were meant to meet?
I had manipulated time
so I could meet you first
but it would not tell me the future.
Still the expression on your face
was priceless, when I saw you out of breath,
“Chasing Junkies?” I asked,
and then passed by with a sly smile
trailing my own scent.
I had wanted to impress you,
especially the you I will never meet.
I wish I could carry you
something small,
something you could live without,
something you would not
miss.
Like a freckle, the one by your lip,
I could keep it
in my front pocket
carry it around
everywhere I went
patting my breast
just to feel you there.
We could go to dinner,
for walks
at night, out in the warm air.
When brushing my teeth
I could place you in a small cup
on the edge of the sink,
and smile just knowing you were there.
At night when I’d sleep
I’d put you beneath my pillow
and sleep together
keeping safe.
If I could just have one
small part of you
just a tiny bit for myself
a bit of you
I’d hold you tight
pressed like a flower
close to my heart.
A Chatoyant Fleck 