i have a story for you, sinner
about how a prayer crawled into my ear
and shushes me now.
membranes, mucousoid and trembling, are rendered convex by pressure
pushing, pushing,
in from all sides until your mind burts with a moan
lost to the screech of landing gear and the wild applause of lone frenchmen.
and as god drives needles into my head (for whatever i did)
i wonder if he sees need to punish you the same
didn't, you and i, we sinned the same?

yes, of course we did
we foolish young things, when offered something bright and irrefutable
made excuses of distance and age difference
and put it off 'till our twilight years
where, armed with driver's licences,
we could woo each other 'till our leisure.

of course, we didn't say any of it.
but in your parting there was no good bye, only a "see you"

and given a willing pair of lips and hands and hips,
you chose to kiss a cheek.

so there you have a story, sinner
for putting off everything you might want
or need
or, or, or
french gold-- denied.