PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

We made love, and I watched her

fall asleep,

listening to the sweet cadence of her breath

till she was dreaming

And when my sweet Pleiad

had sung herself

to sleep,

I snuck away like Orion

after Eos,

to smoke a cigarette by the sea

Eos in Mallory Square at 4:39am

can you imagine that?

My little goddess of the dawn

was late

but I was eager, so I waited

And while I waited, I found an empty café

with a hundred empty chairs

by the sea

empty but one, and the one was me

So I took a seat, in a wooden chair

by the sea

to see what I could see, a stone's throw

from

the boarding ramp, of a luxury cruise ship

And there I sat, to carve away

the last hour of night

waiting for the sun; I was an hour too soon

And there I sat, in my bubble of solitude

smoking and writing

by the light of a street lamp

between the sound of waves and the crashing

sound of late night

stragglers,

that stumbled off the town to get aboard

I was far enough away

so they wouldn't

notice me

But then, three drunken girls

stumbled off thier course

to bumble, near my little empty table

I did not look up, but kept writing

immersed in my ritual

of happiness, waiting for the sun

But apparently, they thought I should have noticed

and so approached me

giggling

“Hey – watcha scrawlin' there sailor,” the leader asked.

“I don't scrawl,” I said.

“Looks to me like yur scrawlin' somethin',” she said, as she stiffened up.

“Like I said muffin - I don't scrawl. But if I did do some scrawlin, I'd scrawl about this dirty world. And my first order of business, would be to make you the centerpiece of my show,” I said.

“Mind if we sit,” she asked. Apparently, she wasn't paying attention.

“Don’t mind if the chairs don’t sweetie,” I said. But she was several drinks beyond understanding insult. And being rude had no effect.

“You got a light there sailor,” the little muffin blurted.

“Sorry honey, I don't smoke. It's bad for your health,” I said. Her two Bartles & James companions, swayed and laughed.

“But we just saw you smokin',” the little muffin declared.

“Yeah, we just saw you smoke,” chimed the least pretty one.

“OK – OK, anything to make you disappear,” I said, as I handed her my lighter. But I could have hurled a stone on her head, and she wouldn’t have noticed.

“It’s a fine town here – Key West,” the little muffin said, as she struggled to light her cigarette against the breeze of the sea.

“Thank you for noticing,” I said. But now, I couldn’t write any more. It flew away. But the sun hadn't come yet. So I changed the venue - to laughs.

“We’re heading to Cozumel tomorrow,” the least pretty one said.

“Yes darling. And I’m waiting for the light to change over the sea,” I said.

“Don’t you have a girlfriend,” the little muffin asked.

“No girlfriend honey – I’m gay,” I declared. Her swaying compatriots, nearly fell off their platform heels with laughter.

“I don’t believe it,” the least pretty one said.

“Believe it sweetheart - I’m as queer as a three dollar bill," I said.

The one wearing a yellow v-neck spaghetti strap mini dress, suddenly dropped her plastic party cup laughing. She was the pretty one in the outfit.

“I don't believe it either,” said little miss sunglow, as she tossed her penny in.

“Believe what you want buttercup,” I said, “You're gonna sail away soon enough.”

“Hey – you wanna come up to our cabin,” the muffin leader blurted out, as she blew her smoke on little miss sunglow.

The muffin looked her best from several meters away. She had that alien Natalie Dormer look about her.

“Yeah, come up to our cabin – we've got three bottles of Champagne,” added little miss sunglow, who had just dropped her plastic party cup. “And we've got a bar and everything,” she added.

Either these girls were not understanding me – Or they were tempting fate.

“Honey I’ve got Syphilis,” I said, “You don't want me.” All three of them now, were weeping with laughter.

“You’re a funny guy,” said the muffin leader.

“Yes, I'm a funny guy – that's true. But only when I’m knocked over with pain,” I said. And now, all three were weeping with laughter again.

“You crack me up sailor,” said little miss sunglow.

“And let me tell you a little something sweetheart. As far as sailing goes, I spend most of my time with ship doctors,” I said, “but they haven’t found a cure yet for what ails me, which is why I’m not allowed aboard ships in this part of the world.”

And now the muffin leader spilled her drink too, dropping her plastic cup of sweet fizz onto the arm of a chair, where it bounced and splashed across the width of her already wine-stained Khaki Slink Wrap, streaming down her leg, into a pair of jazzy floral pumps.

She smiled it off, as though it didn't happen. I could see now, why she was the muffin leader of this little troupe.

"That's one way to cool off," I said.

“You're the cutest thing,” she said in return.

“Yes – but I’m waiting for a lover,” I said, “His name is Eos and he promised to meet me here at this café.”

“But Eos is a feminine name darling,” she said. Apparently, smarter than she looked.

“True, very true – but he wears high heels and that’s the reason I love him,” I said.

“Oh my – full of jokes,” she said.

“Yes – and full of puss too,” I added. All three were beyond containing themselves now. And I was failing miserably at scaring them away. And I knew there was only one way out of this.

“Well ladies - I’ve got to be off now,” I said, “I need to get some cream.”

“Cream” – the muffin leader exclaimed, “what on earth do you need that for?”

“I’ve got a canker-sore big as a mountain on my ass - and it’s killing me,” I said. And I did. It was her.

But the light was beginning to change now

over the sea

and that was the whole reason I had come here,

to see Eos

So I smoked one last cigarette

and walked away;

no words, no explanation - nothing

I didn’t need any

I had seen the light change

over the sea

and now, I was feeling empty

And there was only one cure

for it,

in all the world

To get back under the warm

blankets

with my lovely Renee

And fall asleep,

listening

to the sweet cadence

of her breath

~/~