In the wake of rezoning

on the remains of a bridge
that led to a livelihood long gone
where there is now only rubble,
abandoned trash,
and crooked bricks overgrown with dusty weeds,
like a wild white bird in a cage
a tattered piece of paper fought against the bent face of a fence in the wind
some desperate child
kept from its mother

you tightened your lips
and your thoughts sat still and silent
afraid of how easily you killed your smile

and I looked at your face
staring out the window
saw the hardness set in...

lowered my eyes and found your blouse
opened more than you would have liked
and remembered filling water balloons
how they became heavy in my hand
how I enjoyed holding them

and confessed quite casually
irreverently selfish
when you caught me prying
that i was undressing you with my eyes
aroused by an imagination
careful to stay a few steps ahead of the real thing

the real thing just a bit too bumpy
and hairy, with blemishes
and a sweet musk that
smells like fertile soil
freshly tilled

the crumbs of passion's residue
caking over a quickly fading elation
giving way to the sounds and smells
of urban sprawl
and feelings forgotten in the aftermath

©12.16.17 ebn