And there you
Stood next to
Me beer in
Hand the smoke
From the barbecue
Rising between us
Like steam locomotives
At the Bahnhof
Caught staring you
Leaned through the
Smoke kissing me
Causing me to
Ignore our dinner
Now charred and
Brittle burned chicken
I tried I
Tell you I
Really did try
But you are
Like a plastic
Bag heat sealed
Impossible to open
So instead I
Grip and rip
Try to pull
And yank apart
Until you explode
A pipe bomb
Of pelting emotion
Shards and shrapnel
All over me
Making me bleed
The words it
We are over
And then there
A voice a
Wave a howdy-doo
Trailed by laughter
Like a long
Lit fuse which
Crackled and popped
And exploded causing
People to turn
You stood there
Chagrin rolling in
Like nighttime tides
The crimson bleached
Your face as
Hands cupped mouth
The immediacy of
Embarrassment is the
One single thing
That drew me
Like a moth
To your flame
Whispers in darkness
Hellos in absentia
Photographs of smiles
And remembered tears
Make up me
Alone not lonely
I’m like a
Tree on savanna
Offering just me
To those that
Need me now
Shade or habitat
Your use of
Me defines me
And my life
And with each
Spring comes each
Fall that time
When summers warmth
Is deckle edged
With the crispness
Of drowsy chill
Slowly moving into
The winters dream
Sometimes affection turns
The same way
Attraction blooms and
Slowly shifts like
Late October winds
Cooling almost everything
HARLAN DIDRICKSON 