The smooth brown-skinned man
And the brown-haired girl
Bathed in balmy relief
Though the rebirth of the thing
Brought with it inhibited gestures
The abandonment of lovers whispers.

They sought to rebuild their thing
Through the language of music
The love of poetry.
And within its reworking
And the sharing of so much
Their spirits touched.

But their clothes chafed their bodies
She watched his mouth.
He watched her eyes.
Their unspoken watching.

The inevitable day came
His pain overflowed.
Her never expressed love
Rudely conflicted with her presence
In his fear of another
He spoke of his departure.

Her devastation was laid open as
Her tears spoke her strange love
And her contrary desire to be free
Her compelling path of liberty.

And through her heart’s voice she spoke:
“My Fearless brown-skinned man:
The past is cast.
The future is unfurled.
And the answers to your questions
I do not have.
I can only live for now.
And, yes, there may be others
Who may become lovers
But you are free
As am I.

All I know is that
You are my here and now
And if this thing we have
Has to change, then change it must
And, as we have done so before
We will do so again.

And, beyond the place of here and now
Nothing else existed.
A new understanding had emerged
And as their desires surged
Their brave souls leapt forward
To meet head on the risk
Of not knowing the consequences.

The thing swept upon its road to freedom.