Love lurks in the shadows, a B&E pro,
watching for an open window, an unlatched screen door,
on the not yet hardened heart.
If we’re not careful
It sneaks in through a sly glance
A smile, a nod, a giggle, a laugh
Sometimes it hides like trojan horse in the inane argument
the one that won’t stop, we won’t stop.
it keeps churning back and forth, the everready bunny,
Until we can’t breathe, have nothing left to say
except for what we want to say.
It’s a comedian, hiding in punchlines like
a mowed yard and the trash cans waiting at the curb,
Tax filings and balanced household budgets,
a clean sink
and a car tuned up, gassed up and
ready for the morning dash.
Love announces itself in a shout
a why the hell’d you do that, shout
Love’s a twisted trickster,
hiding in puke
Cold towels on a sweaty forehead
Then the knitted cap
Keeping that cold head warm
Love gets all shy when things get noisy,
The kid who won’t make eye contact
So sit tight, sit quiet and listen
It’s hard
Try it sometime
See what you think
Let me know.
Love’s never found in an open cellphone
Swiping, swiping, no.
Maybe a text, maybe,
But not for long.
Love’s demanding, impatient
Pleeeze don’t give me that
Let ‘em go and if they return
Blah-blah *******
Absence makes the heart shrivel
Love dies in loneliness
Loneliness is to love
Like water is to The Evil Queen in Wizard of Oz
A few drops and it starts to die.
When you find love,
Feed it, feed it, feed it
Let it rest and breathe
Keep it safe,
And never let it go,
Never make it want to hide.
Copyright © 2019 by Zane Safrit. All rights reserved.
I started reading Charles Bukowski. With that inspiration I started writing this poem a few days ago. But I'm not Charles, and allowing time for this poem to sit a little, listening to what worked and what felt right, here it is. Hope you enjoy.