Before We Knew
All thought of consequence
melted with that first touch
of tongue to skin, no respite
to be found in that heat,
no shade at all. I recall
hitching a ride later with a
German couple who lit up
and passed the joint without
asking, and after their
Cinquecento sputtered away,
I walked down to the bar at the
waterfront for an espresso and
to watch the lights spark along
the bay. A few times a week
I’d see a boat putter in and tie up,
and the one-armed man would
display his catch or a carton
of bartered Lucky Strikes, but
not this night. The moon
weighed heavy on my shoulders
as I trudged home, remembering
the way you’d smiled and said,
from some place I’d never
witnessed before, come here,
now, as if I could have said no and
turned around, as if another urge
could have inserted itself
in that moment, in that life, ever.
* * *
“Before We Knew,” first appeared in Sleet Magazine in August 2018. I am grateful to editor Susan Solomon for taking this poem.
Love love love this! The “as if” lines a perfect and so satisfying ending!
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I would not relive those days, but I do think of them fondly.
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Cannot not quiver a bit when I read this!
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Those days, that life, was so charged!
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Ah, desire. The heat; the body’s wisdom and folly. The not knowing which is which, when. Sigh. Masterfully done, Bob.
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Thanks, Cate. The body’s (and mind’s) folly shaded most of those days. I’m glad I’m no longer a teen.
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Sometimes there is / was no no
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That was most definitely the case at that age!
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Subtle but filled with feeling. Love it!
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Thanks, Charlotte. I can’t believe that part of my life was so long ago!
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Epic one dear. I can felt it thoroughly..
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Thank you.
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Those were were the days … although my memory is faded … or, disfigured and distorted by the smoky haze … or, was that a smoky maze …
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A little bit of both, I think, Ivor. 🙂
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Lovely! Lust and longing all tangled together. Aren’t they always.
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Thanks, Deborah. Oh, yes, they are indeed.
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Beautiful
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Thank you, Anand.
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Beautiful, and relatable. Love this poem
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Thank you!
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Marvellous nostalgia
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Thanks, Derrick. A lifetime ago!
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This is a most beautiful piece that immediately put me back into my first real experience with that kind of sensation. The one we later go wow will I ever really feel that way again, can we go back. Eventually if we are lucky. Great piece!
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Those were interesting days, but I’m much more at ease with myself nowadays. 🙂
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