it was the tender way she caressed his face
& traced her name across his lips
like a question mark
like a what if
like a...
maybe she made a mistake
laying her head upon his chest
listening to his heart beat
the rhythms in him were deeply true
she wished they would maybe somehow sing
her devil conscience to sleep
but, then she whispered to him
[i'm going to miss you so]
& you know, it seems crazy, but
he started thinking about Spider-Man & how
his Uncle Ben told him that with great power
comes great responsibility
& there were great decisions to be made here, certainly
great decisions that he thought he would
never have to make, but
he had the power that could make or break them
to be the super-hero
he could be the guy who walked away
or the one guy who got away
or the guy that had his way with the evil girl who led him astray
or the guy who just fell in love that day
this woman sleeping on his chest
with her arms wrapped around him
her hands in his hands
her hair undone, unfurled & laid out & all over
dangling carelessly
dangling dangerously across
her face
gazing into his soft & giving eyes
& there were a hundred roads diverged in an infinite second
that somehow filled the narrow space between them
between their lips was a nervous garden
of flowers too frightened to bloom
of autumns confused between her winter & his sun
of seeds that maybe should not grow
or should they?
or must they?
or can they even?
all she knew was that held within him was the answer
but she was the one with the weight
of yes or no resting quietly on his chest
watching him ...
he’s already yielding
he’s already willing
he’s already yes
with his eyes, yes
with his breathing, yes
with his arms, yes
with his touch, yes please
please...
but she doesn’t want to hurt him anymore
just remember it, caress it, take care of it, hold it
& rock it to everlasting sleep
she’ll always be gentle with this fragile present of his
trembling now within her heart
this forever fleeting, flickering instant
in passing of the candle hope & candle love
remember gently
so gently...
m