Romance

This poem is inspired by the lack of charm and warmth that seems so rampant in modern society.

There used to be romance,

But now it is lost.

It isn’t gone forever,

Just simply

Misplaced

Romance was

Sitting nestled on the floor,

Listening to

Songs,

Scores,

Shows,

Static,

Through the grated hole.

The source-less voices

Permeating every ear,

Every heart

Romance was

Coming home

Only to leave again

On a two wheeled vehicle of freedom,

Eventually returning hours later,

Skin sun-drenched and salty

Ready for a warm meal,

Cooked with loving hands,

And good conversation,

Filled with raucous laughter.

Romance was

Wide-eyed excitement,

Watching the batter run the bases,

Watching the score-keeper flip the numbers.

When the sun was the only light,

And fifty-cent peanuts and caramel corn

Were considered gourmet.

Romance was

Just you and Joe

Sitting in the cozy cafe

On a rainy morning

Listening to saxophone riffs

And quiet lyrics

With messages

Far deeper than one can interpret.

Romance was

Filled booths and tables,

Sitting upon a checkerboard floor,

Loaded with flapjacks and eggs over easy

And hot mugs of steaming coffee.

Every head bobbing

Every set of hips shaking

To rocking guitars,

To beating drums,

To shouting trumpets,

To smooth voices,

Singing about good times,

Good people,

And a good life.

Romance was

Letters,

Magazines,

Newspapers,

Packages,

Sitting in that metal box,

Waiting for shaking hands

And anticipating eyes

To open them

And enjoy them.

Romance was

Rocks hitting windows

And clandestine meetings in the night,

Stereos swaying above desperate faces,

And fluttering hearts,

Wondering if the risk is worth it.

Romance was

The clarion calls

Of vendors on the streets

And the clanking quarters

Allowing star-crossed lovers
To speak for five more minutes

And the chance meetings

On a train to work

Or on the streets of New York

Or in a cafe of strangers.

There used to be romance,

But now it is lost.

It isn’t gone forever,

Just simply

Misplaced

Romance was lost

To the ever-present screen

Of constant noise,

Filled to the brim with nonsense,

Sucking away reality,

Sucking away time,

Sucking away love.

Romance was lost

To the mounds of work,

To standards that must be met,

With no consideration of fun,

To industrialized meals,

Cooked only for satisfaction and business,

And merely heated up at home,

Or to a meal that’s ready on a dime,

No hassle,

Just a simple drive through a line.

Romance was lost

To the technicolor spectacle,

To the fifty-dollar burgers and fries,

To the question of integrity in training,

To the booing and hissing of a classless crowd,

To the neon screens

That stand as an unending reminder

That the “old ball game”

Is really just a three-hour commercial.

Romance was lost

To the institution of espresso

To fifteen-syllable orders

To the cold, dark floors and walls,

To the hodgepodge music,

With lyrics as fake as plastic.

Romance was lost

To an impossible standard of culinary excellence,

To the need for bigger and better,

To complaints and sent back plates,

To rooms and groups far too loud

For any sort of meaning

Or enjoyment

Or eating.

Romance was lost

To the department stores,

To the “new” stores,

Selling things

Whose quality is measured

In defined units,

Not by the weathered hands that made them

Nor by the deeper thought behind the designs.

Romance was lost

To ease of access

And the lumps in every pocket

That light up every few seconds,

Beckoning for attention,

For retention,

For obsession.

Romance was lost

To the Hollywood “love”,

Full of glitz and glamour,

That sets an impossible standard,

One that requires more taking than giving,

One that requires more secrecy than vulnerability,

One that requires more commitment than one can possibly give,

One that is really just a facade,

That covers unfaithfulness and a contrived relationship.

There used to be romance,

But now it is lost.

It isn’t gone forever,

Just simply

Misplaced.

We can find it,

We just have to think

With simplicity,

With acuity,

With love,

Love for the game,

Love for life,

Love for others.