He’s enterprising
working
as a server
in a chic burger
joint in Waikiki
knees and feet
ache he says
been on them
for eight hours
like marching
marines
or a date
with new shoes
I rub them
sometimes
rubbing the ache
out substituting
tenderness

I’m attracted
to him moth
to light I
buzz around
him excited
laughing
like a nervous
teenager
to the football
captain
like the moth
I can’t help
but circle
around
afraid of the light
yet mesmerized
by its danger

The last
night we
dined
we laughed
so loud
like air
raid sirens
that we
were asked
to stop
Hannah
our server
was funny
too and
we laughed
and laughed
like clowns

I sit
on my perch
high above
the ocean
and Waikiki
and stare
down
upon them
the ocean
is there
in the distance
blue
on sky blue
towers
of Waikiki
stand guard
like giants

At the bar
we sat
close enough
that arms
and legs
brushed against
each other
like brushes
to shoes
the brief
touch was
an electrocution
it sent shivers
through my body
like licking
a battery
his touch
even absent-mindedly
was surprising
passionate
friendly