Animal Instinct

Like the poor villager’s stream of hope
Sluggish and coy flows after hearty rains,
You in a defiant, graceful movement
Unclasped those thick locks
Brown
Carrying many minnows of possibilities;
And I found my surroundings faded
As in a clever camerawork.
Off the tilted plate slid strands of spaghetti, shunning
My hunger which was reborn
Into an astonishingly simpler, much younger urge
To see myself as I stood –
Mouth parted, eyes clouded
The tongue pressed against my teeth
Struggling to deny even as I succumbed to
This thunderbolt of beauty.

There is no age for not feeling foolish
There is no time less appropriate
For acting like a dumb cow
Waddling behind the tuft of green;
Why would I not
Chase you,
Tripping as my words tripped in the mesh of saliva
After I returned your wave?
Why would I not
Want more than dry words
Which you pronounced? While I tried
Not to sniff too obviously
Your scent.

I think there was nothing wrong
In dreaming all week
You’ll call on me this Saturday
Sit on my bed, out of concern
Nurse my swollen ankle
Share silence and popcorn and we’d kiss
And I would be lazy and rest so much,
And drought would be just one more news
On the TV set running on mute.

And
Much later, as I swat mosquitoes
Under the dripping tin roof,
I think I was quite right
To pout before your puzzled look
When you told me of the holiday;
Through the sudden unplanned mist
I, too, must follow, limping
Cow puppy tiger
Cherishing the raw naked stupidity
You stir within me.

Here comes my train.
The last train out of town.

Everything must return to 'okay'
After half a dozen urgent slaps
From love......