I remember when
You first met
Me you cautiously
Approached like a
Cat inching forward
Then darting back
Disappearing and reappearing
Braver each time
Until you eventually
Found comfort in
My elbows crook
Taking ownership there
Which is where
You remain every
Night after dinner
I am not
Motivated by lust
But rather by
Learning learning to
Be yourself if
I can take
You from here
To there then
My job is
Complete what you
Do on the
Other side is
Completely up to
You
At long last
Marooned having chosen
Not to climb
Aboard the makeshift
Raft of rescue
Instead bidding farewell
To those desperate
Souls chasing the
Dreams of familiarity
I remain here
On the island
Choosing me over
The comforts of
Others knowing that
My aloneness will
Generate personal discovery
And letting those
Seek companionship as
A means of
Avoiding their loneliness
Laying here in
The dark a
Candle winking at
Me from the
Dresser listening to
Debussy delicately bob
Above me like
Late summers fireflies
I remember now
The feeling of
Your finger tips
Dancing on my
Arm like slowly
Creeping Ivy pulling
Me in tightly
Like mother’s embrace
And warding off
The chill of
That one nighttime
So long ago
Our sweet September
Together in Valencia
I don’t miss
You or us
I miss me
When in love
What I see
Now of me
Is like looking
Into a steamy
Mirror seeing the
Outline of something
Like disappearing into
The fog of
Cool wet August
Mornings of Frisco
There but not
Ghoulishly awaiting resurrection
HARLAN DIDRICKSON 