1/2 a boy and his flame

A Poem by Richard

I met her most unusual self
in the strangest of ways
picture: leaning against the city
obviously: things got exciting
(not for me, or her, but the shadow keeper’s daughter, rings on all 11 fingers, ready to make a match)

I quietly observed
her coveted flame fingers of Olympia, her hips
mincing, bent over, wow

to pick up change
that she could give to it’s owner..or at least her piggy bank ...can you imagine?

Note: Enter dark haired man,
top half missing.

Right before midnight each night
her flames went out so, now
I could see her face
she never said I couldn’t

But I wasn’t ready
my pants were tight with chains, my sunglasses were crooked
and I remember thinking if things went sour I could take the hard-way train back to the monastery
where father John, lioness Joan, and low-down Jacob were banging hang-drums frantically,
No way was I going to reveal my top half,
I wasn’t ready, like I told you
but the drums went quiet

And the whispers purred
and broken bottles turned strategically upside down - were pouring sidewalk after sidewalk and
her prized flame fingers touched my heart that night
reached right in and lit that star..

She was blind with passion
unfortunately, I was just blind
my passion was frustration
She said “don’t even worry about it…” and she pushed my hair back
I don’t know how she did it because there were gunshots a block away
and up against the brick wall was a drunkard begging for freedom
I told her nobody had ever felt my face before and she said because “nobody has seen your eyes”
and I took this as an opportunity to let tears pour down
She licked them away and I hugged her the same way I hugged my dog ‘Pepper’ the day he had porcupine quills in his nose
I told her I was just a dog
she said “I know”
..as my top half faded away
And the moon faded left

A car drove by and the driver gave us a rude look, but stopped and picked us up,
he drove us home and I said “I have to explain something to you, but please don’t scream ..
I love you tonight, and tomorrow I will too”
she looked at me like I was only half there
It’s true, I was half gone ..
“And …?”
I waved my hand through my missing orifice.
“and the next day and the next day and the next day”