Love Without Accommodations

In the dark of a winter evening
I stood outside my house—
the only lights guiding my little adventure were a porch light
and the orange glow from my cigarette—
and tilted my head back
allowing my eyes to see the stars.

I fell in love with Polaris—
how it dances in place in the sky,
close but astronomically far from the Big Dipper
and then turned around to admire Jupiter.
I fell for the snow falling
around me, softly touching my face.

This is the love I've wanted,
what I've waited for, I thought—
love without compromises
and no accommodations.
I can stand outside in the cold air
smoking cigarettes

and know the only thing I ask
would be simple and easy to comply with—
that when I come back outside tomorrow night
they'll be out there waiting for me.