young
we had love by
the collar
and we led it between
downtown buildings
and into efficiency apartments,
franchised restaurants
with good happy hours and
half-priced appetizers
but it got away and
I watched it leave
between swing shifts and
cigarette breaks
and when I see you
I wonder
what happened to
that girl
that
was a bundle
of nerves,
ready to jump into open
arms,
that force of nature
that kept me clinging
to the bar
as the world was
blown
around me,
that blushing girl
with
hair-trigger tears,
and make-up in piles
on the passenger car seat,
what unreasonable part of time
unfastened the buttons
and
took you out of my bed
and put you
behind those
empty eyes
