Your sweet burst of laughter made me bubbly and pink and
I stirred in the wooden booth letting my cheek clank against my palm.
I watched your tongue, a shiny Maraschino cherry, and
played with the plastic straw between my teeth as I sipped your story in.
The table was a dutiful chaperone, forcing distance between us and
I couldn’t imagine being any further from you,
That was before things went flat and
I had to fathom the mileage between
your Hannover and my Bellingham
And then I was distracted by your full suit and
How my polka dot dress resembled my heartbeat
Both flouncing as I reached for your hand
Now I can’t wear either thoughtlessly
And when the waitress nudged me,
she clasped her hands together like a child mimicking her schoolteacher and
her eyes effervesced with a picture perfect plea
You’re not a bother. Of course you can.
We froze our grenadine grins and
waited
Who could blame her for wanting to capture something?
ice melts
smiles fade
people leave
