Skin

A Poem by Marshall

Last summer, the first of sunshine days
I walked the dusky dawn, down memory lane
searching for those strawberry nights of lust
and longing that lay captured in a jar

of firefly nights, chill wine and meaningless dreams
that wrote itself in our own language of caresses
and touching the stars, we stumbled into night
unaware that this-was, after all, an affair.Tomorrow

we must return to sanity, and take with us
our suitcase kisses, pretend nothing happened.
How quaint to feign when saturated in ecstasy
keeping it under wraps, quiet and carefully.

Yes, of course, I was tempted to teach the cellphone
new tricks of deceit in numbers, names and meanings
my tickets torn between a memory of wild nights
and wanton words, silk and satin sensations

Oh yeah, I reached home and its familiar welcomes
'The deals done,' I said to the unsuspecting wife
and kept a straight face, like any office memo,
and put my shirts and new ties into place

along with that knowing smile that lurks
in all marital mayhem. It was only when
the phone bleeped, my pulse raced, number familiar
'He knows', it read, and Judas welled up in my chest.

Summer came to a close, the sunshine left early
and winter set in quickly, as the leaves turned
dark rust with tinges of fading gold and blood.
Every snake must shed its skin now.