The ache
which smoldered
deep in my belly
like an old iron stove
has been extinguished
recently by a chance
encounter
like bumping
into someone
the surprise turned
to laughter turned
to passion
hands were free
to explore terrain
once soft and circular
then firm
with determination
suddenly we
weren’t strangers
but lovers
ensnared in a Chinese
finger puzzle
they tighten
when you leave

is good looking
like a favorite
book
hair the color
of black sand
pebbled with gray
hair sits on his chest
like paint splatters
his stomach inhales
and exhales
down to his narrow
hips and full
buttocks

his name is William

I remember him

The rain
comes in sheets
like linens snapping
on a clothes line
the wind whistles
and howls and
makes my dog
bark
streets still
deserted like a sci-fi
flick
an all-clear hasn’t
blown
it’s a tropical storm
not a missile
crisis

Rain is coming
they predict
a weeping rain
saturating the ground
loosening moorings
like getting
a divorce
It’s raining
now outside
my window
simply rain
without the hype
of a hurricane