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
There we sat
Tiny and frail
As unimportant as
A bug at
The runways end
Or beginning I
Suppose depending upon
Which direction seen
Are we landing
Or taking off
Just the start
Or an end
Yet unlike airplanes
Which thunder overhead
A simple quiet
Kiss on lips
Has taken us
Both someplace else
From somewhere else
Then in your
Eyes I saw
A moment a
Second of hesitation
A pause in
Thought a burp
A hiccup and
Yet you continued
In cautious abandon
And made your
Musical melody live
Skating and sliding
Like leaves on
Thinly iced ponds
HARLAN DIDRICKSON 