What to Say When You're Not Sorry Anymore and Other Outtakes and Observations

Anne the Plain

How can you tell her that she’s plain,
she knows you know and yet
will never hear you say wear red or
bleach your hair, or take the day.

Instead, you lead her in a dance and
teach her how to paint a sunrise on a
far-off hill, until her spirit fills her eyes and stills her wanting heart for now.

Plain is not simple though, and soon
enough will come the day when one
enraptured by her soul and off’ring more
will take her heart and lead the way.

Light Lunch

We face across a tabletop wiped clean, and study menus to escape the throb between the thighs, adjust our eyes to hide our hearts.

We talk around confessions barely hidden, choosing words far from the sighs of youthful heat, too late surprised by sexual longings, we retreat.

You order cake and ice cream
I can’t have, I ask for salad greens and very cold iced tea.

MOVING OUT

Your heart beats I know because
I’ve watched you breathe, but do you cry? I’ve never seen your eyes grow
moist with hurt or loss, you want me
to believe you are the stoic boss of your
emotions, but you’re not,
you’re vulnerable just like me.

When you can let me see that you are
human too, I may come back. For now, I
choose to move from under your silence
where I am free to laugh out loud, to
stomp and yell in anger, wail in pain, and
most of all hear passionate moans and shouts from you in my embrace.

QUARREL

All over but the shouting? Not true.
The shouting started it, you lost control; I blew you off. Once more our silence shouts, I’m on a roll. Please just shut up and go.

All over but the crying? Yes, if that’s what you would like to do. Me? Quietly recalling better times of fun and laughter, I can forget our discontents, can you?