After Dave in Ames

We drove through dusk on I-35,
Chasing a sound that made us feel alive.
Ames ahead, with your bare feet on the dash,
Dave on the speakers, hearts beating fast.

The air was thick with corn and flame,
And every mile just fed the flame.
We reached the crowd as the sun went low,
Wrapped in rhythm, swaying slow.

“Crush” lit sparks beneath your skin,
You mouthed the words with that secret grin.
And when “One Sweet World” filled the sky,
Your hand found mine—we nearly cried.

After the show, the night still young,
We ordered pizza just for fun.
“Late Night Special, Room 203”—
But you pulled me in, wild and free.

Clothes in piles, your laugh in the air,
Dave still echoing everywhere.
The knock at the door—we didn’t hear,
Too wrapped in love, too lost, too near.

Later, breathless, a little dazed,
You stretched and smiled in a post-show haze.
“I think the pizza came and went…”
The scent in the hallway gave the hint.

Down the hall, a box was gone—
Room 205 with the TV on.
They scored the pie meant for our bed,
But we had something else instead.

Because dough gets cold and cheese can wait,
But passion never hesitates.
In Ames that night, we missed the slice—
But da mn, the love… that tasted right.

© 2025 Shawn Oen. All rights reserved.