i choose now
today
to exorcise my own bitter spirit
which has robbed me
twenty years of gratefulness
for two years of your company

i want to remember you
not for the pain of rejection
but for the fun and happiness
which were the hallmarks
two perfect imprints
of the precious times we had

for fun:
i will remember working together
on the set of the autumn production
'The Boyfriend'
and quietly behind the scenes
i had become yours

the wet paint gave us yellow silhouettes
two perfect imprints
of my hands on the back of your skirt

and for happiness:
an embrace in the rain
as i escorted you home one summer evening
we stopped running and paused
under a lamp in the alley
we squeezed out the breath and the water
between us

and we were left with dry outlines
two perfect imprints
of each other


a-l-s