AS THE RAIN POURS

AS THE RAIN POURS

WITH ARMS TIGHTENING

AROUND HER

IMPERCEPTIBILITY SO

STRONG

LIKE A WARM COCOON

REMAINING SILENT

FOR SEVERAL MOMENTS

TO CONSIDER

HER WORDS

CAREFULLY

SNUGGLED CLOSER

AND PUT HER ARMS

AROUND THE WAIST

TO FIND BALANCE

WHILE ON THE BACK

OF THE BIKE

RIDING DOWN THE COAST

SHE COULD ONLY

THINK ABOUT

THE CONVERSATION

WHICH THEY HAD

EARLIER

YET THE SUDDEN

WEARINESS OVERWHELMED

HER IT WAS VERY

EARLY

IN THE MORNING

THEY HAD STAYED

UP ALL NIGHT

DRINKING AND TALKING

ABOUT EVERYTHING

FROM EACH OTHERS

PAST

AND SHE WAS

WONDERING

EXACTLY WHAT

REASONING

SHE HAD DECIDED

TO PULL OUT

THE HARD BALL CARD

WHEN SHE KNEW

SHE NEVER ALLOWED THAT

BEFORE

THERE WAS SOMETHING

IN THE

RECENT COURSE

OF DESIRED DREAMS

THAT SPIRALED

IT INTO LIFE

SHE FELT IT LIKE

THE AUTUMN

BREEZE CUTTING

IN AS WINTER

APPROACHED

WHERE SHE LET

GO OF ALL THE

THINGS THAT

SEEMED TO HAUNT

HER

AND LEFT IT ON

THE DOORSTEP OF

YESTERDAY

SHE WASN’T SO YOUNG

ANY MORE

BUT SHE FELT

EVERYTHING MEANT

MORE IN THE SECONDS

OF TIME

YEARS AGO

IT MEANT SO LITTLE

NOW ITS

CREEPING

UNDERNEATH

HER BUILT UP

WALLS

SEEKING FOR A WAY

TO STAY

FOR THERE WAS

A SAME GOAL

RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER

WHAT SHE CRAVES

AND THIS PERSON

SOARED HER

TO PEAKS OF FIRE

SHE COULD

ONLY DREAM OF

LONG AGO

LIKE ALL THE BURNED

PAGES OF WORDS

SHE LEFT

IN THE URN

SOME KIND OF

ENDLESS PURSUIT

THE CONFIDENCE LATELY

THAT IT WAS

OVER AND GONE

SEEMED

TO TAKE HOLD

YET SHE KNEW

IT COULDN’T BE THAT

EASY OR COULD IT

TO WALK AWAY

FROM THAT

WHICH

BROUGHT NOTHING

BUT HURT

SO BACK TO THE NOW

THIS FAST

REALITY

IN THE SHARP INCLINE

UP THE HILL

COVERING ALL

THE TRACKS

OF YESTERDAY

LIKE THE

WATER

DOWN THE DRAINS

FLOWING FAST

AND WITH THE CURRENT

FROM THIS

VANTAGE POINT

IT SEEM

TO BE ALL A BLUR

DID SHE DARE TO

THINK ANYTHING

WOULD EVER BE

DIFFERENT

WITH A FORCE FED BY

THE HEART BEATING

AS THE SPEED

INCREASED

FASTER

YET THE TIME

SLOWED DOWN

BETWEEN HER ARMS

AND THE RAIN

POURING DOWN

FROM THE LITTLE STINGS

AS IT SOAKED

STRAIGHT THROUGH

HER JEANS

YET BEADED OVER

THE LEATHER JACKET

HER FACE SHIELDED

AS HARD AS THE

RAIN HIT

IT WAS CLEANSING

REFRESHINGLY SO

BEATING

AS SHE NOW HELD

ON TIGHTER

AND LEANED INTO

THE BACK

OF THE WARMTH

IN FRONT OF HER

SHE KNEW THE TRIP

WOULDN’T TAKE

TOO MUCH LONGER

FOR JUST AROUND THE BEND

WAS THE

SPACE SHE

CALLED HOME

ANOTHER BLOCK

UP THE HILL

COMING INTO

THE DRIVEWAY

THE RAIN WAS

BLINDING

PERFECT TIMING

FOR THEY WOULD

HAVE HAD

TO STOP ANYHOW

CLIMBING OFF

THEY RAN TO THE

AWNING

AND UP THE STAIRS

PULLING THE

HELMETS OFF

SHE HANDED HERS

OVER

AT THE DOOR

SHAKING OFF THE WATER

SHE SAID THANK YOU

FOR THE RIDE

BACK

LOOKING DOWN

I SEE I AM TOTALLY

SOAKING WET

KINDA AWKWARD

FOR THE SHIRT

WAS THE ONLY

THING DRY

CAUSE OF THE JACKET

BUT AS I PULL IT OFF

THERE IS A WET

SPOT ALL THE

WAY DOWN THE FRONT

WIPING MY FEET

AS I TURN THE KEY

I HEAR HER SAY

AS SHE COMES

UP

BOY ITS RAINING NOW

I JUST SMILED

I FEEL HER

COLD HANDS GO

AROUND MY WAIST

AND A HEAD BEND

DOWN ON THE BACK

OF MY SHOULDER

AND A WARM

KISS TO THE BACK

OF MY NECK

SENDS A SHIVER

DOWN MY SPINE

A GOOD ONE

I LEAN BACK

AND MELT INSIDE

THE DOORWAY

IN THAT INSTANT

I REALIZE THAT

ALL BETS ARE OFF

I FOLD THE CARDS

AND LET IT UNFOLD

WE HAD DISCUSSED THIS

BUT NEVER ACTED

ON IT BEFORE NOW

THERE IS THAT

EXTREME

FIRE THAT BUILDS

IN THE BOTTOM

OF THE STOMACH

AND WORKS IT WAY

UP

AS I FEEL A HAND

MOVE AND THE

DOOR SHUT

BEHIND ME

OFF TO A NEW START

OF A NEW BEGINNING

WHERE THE

RAIN NO LONGER

HAS A HAUNTING

MEMORY

BUT

A NEW FEELING

OF

COMFORTING

HAPPINESS

TO THE DREAMS

OF WHAT COULD

BUT NEVER WILL BE

YET IT WAS

STILL THERE

SHE SAYS

I AM GLAD

YOU TOOK ME UP

ON THAT COFFEE

TWO DAYS AGO

I SMILED

AND SAID ME TO

NOW SHH

AND KISS ME.