Do you remember that day?

That day when ice-cream dripped
down our fingers
and we were so happy

Weren't we?

The day our eyes closed
from the force of our smiles
and our fingertips tingled
and tickled our feather-wings

It was the longest summer
- the hottest in living memory they say

But to us the heat only meant
the days were ours to drink
- endless hours in the grass

We lounged by the lazy river
and you played with the brim
of my big white hat
and you smiled
with the whole of your body

Do you remember that?

It's winter now
and I'm wearing my navy coat
with brass buttons
- like a soldier's
and my steps echo
along your scenic street

I don't even turn my head
when I pass by
your white picket fence

there are no more games to play
no more running around in circles
until our heads spun
and our legs gave out
under the weight of our laughs
no more twirling under
the sun at noon
with nothing
but the sounds of the forest
to be our tune

we left it all in the dust
slowly crawling away
inside our under-lived lives
until we were so far removed
from that swirling stream
of long honeydew days
that we could not even remember
how it felt to run barefoot in the rain

The river rippled
between my fingers
and it was velvet
and satin
and steel

The day smelled
of old earth
and secrets

that day
when we went fishing
for the truth

And the hooks
glinted in the sun
they were beautiful
and lovely

lovely killing things

A memory is like a bird
with shimmering feathers
whose colours  you can never quite tell

They glint and darken
in a time it takes
for a bird's heart to beat

Once
Twice
Flutter
Falter

You can smell
a memory

Good ones
smell like mornings
and dews
and fresh bread

Bad ones
smell like wet earth
and wood
and candle flames

And the memories yet to come
tickle and tease
your hopeful mind
with promises of new smiles
and new heartbeats

Once
Twice

You are a vertigo
you are untethered
you're free flying
falling like a
blue blue star

Your secret heart
is a Mariana Trench
and your dreams
are Moon-licked tides

Your flicker-eyes
are fiery candles
dangerous and wild

Would you please
grab me by the hand
and take me for a dive?

I've been saving my smiles
for stormy skies

for umbrella days
and rainy eyes

for chocolate kisses
and cherry pies

for Turkish delights
and lullabies

for mists and dews
and seagull cries

I've been saving them
for our blue goodbyes

The Danube was moody that night
- stormy and loud and rowdy
like a happy old drunk

we walked side by side
and counted the stars
exploding in the sky

we were young
and we were new
and the air felt like fireworks

I wore a frilly skirt
and a silly smile

you wore your dinner jacket
with your grown-up tie

and we danced to the music
across the ripple river

while Belgrade woke up
all around us
with whispers and sighs

green water glistening
in puddles on the pavement

the smell of sawdust
and coffee beans

muffled laughter
behind the curtains

clinging of pots and pans
a dinner being made

TV news and weather report
'Should i carry an umbrella tomorrow?'

a bedtime story
and fresh fluffy pillows

silvery moonshine
on the walls

the only sound is made
by a dripping tap
and the ink stains
on my fingers

when old music
hurts too much
and new one
still hasn't taken hold

when my house
becomes too small
to dance in

when I have
so much to wish for
and too little awake-time
to breathe

then
I would like
nothing better
than to feel
your smile
and the steel of your gaze
on my downcast eyes

and then
and then
you would take me
for a twirl
around the park gazebo
in broad daylight
and we would make
the pigeons fly