Tonight, deep in
residential woods

at the foothill of the
butte who towers
the city-

the needle touched
the record
and Tenderly,
Tenderly played

you spoke to me
in quiet,
in silence,
and my stillness
was the counter
that you needed so

I made a deal with
fondness-
to open the most secret
vaults of my vulnerability
and sell my soul to hope
and design

at Fox Hollow's
smokey dusk,
with you

I shook the hand of love.