I lean up
to kiss your nose
and beg for more
of the cinnamon-stick aura
streaming around you--

Such tantalizing tones
could tempt even
the most reluctant soul

The universe spoke
with me today
over sugar-free danish
and self-doubt--

I responded gratefully.

We six souls
sip warm beer
from backpacks carried
across rivers and rocks
to the secret spot
we found as kids,
a lipstick-stained joint
gets passed back and forth
and Gabby's old blanket
hides shivering toes,
our secret hope
that tomorrow never shows.

You and I collided
like fog over ground,
one solid and firm--
utterly immovable.

The other lightly
misting over
and through,
caressing this blade
and that one
before swirling away,
and above,
and beyond.

I’m too full to finish* I whined,
After my last bite of Spongebob macaroni
In an Oscar-worthy toddler performance.
Granny reluctantly appeared from the kitchen
Reproach half-forming on her lips,
Until my near empty plate stopped her
And our laughter caused the frown lines
In her forehead to disappear
As she breathed a sigh of relief,

That first memory, so similar to my last--
In her final hour, Granny looked at me
And smiled, the crease in her brow
For one last time relaxing.

I managed not to flinch
at your gilded dismissal,
but even rain drops feel like bullets
if they're delivered with enough force.

I never liked cigarettes
unless they were smoked by you,
during the breaks we took
from your crowded bar,
melting into busy Roman streets
to steal a kiss or two between drags,
but I think after half a pack
you could’ve stolen more than that