Social lubricant, they say.
To hell with that,
I don’t know when or how,
By what chance or coincidence,
But I will call you.
You miss a step on a stairwell
And start to fall;
I extend my arm in an almost automatic gesture.
You cling to it
And let go of my hand
Just a couple of seconds later
Than you were supposed to.
Loud noises make me want to sit closer,
And so I do
In an everlasting hum,
Monotonous beat,
Saying some meaningless words.
‘It’s two for a quarter, dime for a dance’
And as I feel
The touch of your fingers on my back,
I pick up the beat;
We dance shyly
To the tune known just to the two of us
In the whole wide universe.
Some stranger congratulates us
And, embarrassed, we laugh nervously
But then look into each others’ eyes
Just a couple of seconds longer
Than we were supposed to.
Social lubricant, they say.
To hell with that,
I don’t know why,
By what chance or coincidence,
But you called me back.
The tension grows exponentially,
So we literally have to face the wind
And light up a *** or two;
Another couple afterwards.
When you didn’t see me,
I pinched myself —
Just so you know.
The piano
Misses a measure
And goes offbeat.
We start to fall,
I extend my arm in an almost automatic
gesture,
You cling to it.
We kiss,
And let go of each other
Just a couple of seconds earlier
Than we were supposed to do.
I don’t feel the usual thrill,
Or any extra ‘tension’ for that matter.
I just feel like I’m free.
Loud noises make me want to close my eyes,
And so I do
In an everlasting hum,
Monotonous beat,
Thinking some meaningless thoughts.
An hour earlier,
Or, perhaps, a day later,
And the world would have been
So much different.
‘I recognise that smell’
A hint of dried fruits,
Chocolate
And oatmeal –
Looks like a gleaming skyscraper
With a cute pink foundation
Below.
You say I’m embarrassing you,
Well, the blush is mutual,
But you sure as hell have a good taste
In music.
New coat of paint
(an impudent and familiar smell applied),
Same joint – new day.
And I don’t pinch myself,
Not anymore I don’t.
Social lubricant, they say.
The tension grows exponentially,
The piano misses another beat.
I don’t know why,
By what chance and coincidence,
But I came down for a glass that night.
I was staring at the beer and crackers,
One of those nights;
Haven’t I told you that I love warm beer?
I hear something familiar
And I smell something new.
So, the world couldn’t have been
Any stranger.
A hint of dried fruits,
Smoked wood
And chilli in a bowl.
I steal you for a cigarette
And we chatter
Just a couple of seconds longer
Than we were supposed to.
‘Call me any time you want to have some fun’
I know **** well when and how,
By what chance and coincidence,
I will call you again.
Social lubricant, you say?
A two and a ten, please.
Hope you’re not embarrassed anymore,
I know I’m not.
To hell with that.