By day, his bare footprints traced the shoreline's contour.
At dusk, beneath his dress slacks' cuffs, he wore socks (softer, sheerer
than at home), but never shoes. With my Tadzio, the sea is bluer;
and the stars, beginning just after twilight, seem so much nearer.
And when we paused our stroll to exchange a slow, wet kiss,
what homophobic prude would have dared to judge that amiss.
Beneath Christ's own stars. and fine beneath our shoeless, sheer-sheathed feet
and supple trouser cuffs, we stood and kissed, in a moment ours---whole and complete.
Januarian