on the streets, the television,
at the pool,
in bars, airports,
in bars, airports,
laundromats and supermarkets.
Sometimes she is brunette,
Sometimes she is brunette,
other times blonde,
recurrently Asian, Latina
or African-American.
Once, she was a blind, ginger
concert pianist.
Always lively and aloof
Always lively and aloof
with an irreverent smile
and hips that swing
to the devil's groove.
He imagines their life together:
days sparked
with high adventure,
rapturous nights
of fellowship and fucking,
vacations
on the Coast of Mexico.
It would not be work.
She would prepare breakfast for him
She would prepare breakfast for him
and tend to her garden
on weekends.
She would have her own money,
an inheritance from a birth father
possessed of the grace to pass away
before their engagement.
There would be few arguments
between them,
and she would respect the artist,
and she would respect the artist,
careful not to distract him
with trivial matters
such as house cleaning
or automotive repair.
He would call her, Mi Dama Amante,
He would call her, Mi Dama Amante,
and dedicate his works to her.
But for her fixation
with ceramic lawn gnomes,
she would be impeccable.
The meddling midget devils.
He cannot stand them
posted like sentinels about the lawn,
scrutinizing every movement.
Even her younger sister agrees,
the gnomes are a peculiar fetish.
The sister lives in West Hollywood,
teaches yoga and dances professionally.
She laughs at his jokes.
He thinks of her often.
Convinced she is adrift
without him.
**First published in Bluing the Blade, and winner of the "Bragi Poetry Award" at Tempered Runes Press.
**First published in Bluing the Blade, and winner of the "Bragi Poetry Award" at Tempered Runes Press.
