On the Rocks

It’s a day you’ll never forget,
And not in a good way,
Something was really wrong,
That much you knew,
And you just asked,
And then she looked you in the eyes,
And then she looked away,
What is it,
I don’t think we should be married,
Oh,
I know,
I’m really sad to hear that,
It’s just not working,
Oh,
Or at least right now it isn’t,
Oh,
I think you should move out,
When,
As soon as you can,
Okay,
I need the space,
We are in the middle of a pandemic,
If you don’t go I’ll leave with the kids,
Not necessary,
Thanks,
And then she leaves the kitchen,
You’re just sitting there,
Thinking about what to go for,
A beer,
Something stronger,
Bourbon,
Three ice cubes,
A splash of water,
Lost in thought,
You aren’t sure where the last several years have gone,
There were highs and lows,
But surely this isn’t the end,
No,
You’ve entered a dark and complicated phase,
Accept the breakup,
Move out,
Disappear,
And dig in,
The stakes could not be higher.

Roscoe’s and Beyond

Meeting for a drink,
Her idea,
You accept,
It was going to be Republic though they’re closed,
Due to coronavirus concerns,
You settle on Roscoe’s
Negronis,
Of course,
Up for her,
Rocks for you,
It’s just one drink,
That turns into something more,
Something real,
It’s still there,
What the two of you shared,
And before you know it,
It’s there,
That other thing,
Running through your veins,
Pressing on top of your heart,
Bursting through your pores,
This feels so good,
Yet you don’t say that,
Right now you don’t say anything,
Because you can feel it and just want to hold onto it for a while longer,
Because it’s that good,
Because you were always down but not out,
Because without it there’s nothing left to live for,
Hope.

Downtown Brevard

At Jordan Street Café,
Downtown Brevard,
Western North Carolina,
She had gone to the bathroom,
And you saw it out of the corner of your eye,
Promotional material,
Fall in love with downtown Brevard,
And when she came back you showed her,
And she made a minor modification,
Fall in love in downtown Brevard,
And so you did,
Together,
Even though promotional material only goes one way,
You probably could have done with an additional brochure that day,
That would have prepared you,
Or better prepared you,
After all,
It’s always better,
When you’re able to see the knife,
Before it enters you.