First Weekend Of Autumn

Emily is all in black tonight, we took a walk under the almost full harvest moon and she looked like a piece of the soft autumn night drifting to earth on a moonbeam. Long black skirt, black t shirt, black ribbon holding her pony tail, black sandals on her feet. Deep black eye shadow, even black lipstick, this a side of her I've not seen before. She's not wearing her glasses, and from the glitter in her eyes I can tell she has contacts in. She slipped her arm through mine as we walked on the Promenade, and I think I stood a little taller in spite of my aching back, that's how proud I was that someone so wonderful wants to spend her time with me.

I bought us ice cream cones on Montague Street, double chocolate fudge for her, rocky road for me. She's the only person I've ever seen who enjoys an ice cream cone as much as my friend Jane, who's my best and oldest friend on the planet. She actually rubbed her tummy and did a little dance step in the street and gave me a very chocolate kiss; people passing by smiled and one guy walking with a girl who could almost have been her sister laughed and gave us a thumbs up.

We came back home and watched a movie, "My Louisiana Sky". I'd ordered it 'cos Juliette Lewis was in it. She really only had a small part in it, but it was a totally sweet movie that left us both feeling really good. Now she's lying on the bed watching Live From The Artist's Den, featuring The Black Crowes. She's changed into one of my t shirts for a night gown. She's lying on her back and Skunk is curled up under her arm, purring so loudly I can hear him over here at my desk. He loves her a lot, and so do I.

Haiku For My Friend

My hands feel useless
when I look at your pain in
the holy moonlight

Nine Years Later

The ghosts are so near tonight, floating like unanswered prayers in the cold blue-white light over Manhattan. Parents, children, lovers, best friends, all wondering what the hell happened under that achingly beautiful blue sky.

And the glass has long since shattered, and the steel has long since bent in the heat. And their blood has long since soaked into the merciful sand, and their souls have been taken back home.

Please Lord keep me from remembering that morning. It's more than I can handle right now. Please take my memories and give them life everlasting. They deserve so much more than I can ever offer them.

September

Want to walk out of here, and my footprints in the dust will be the only autograph I leave behind. I won't even lock the door, just leave it all there. You can have it if you want it, but I don't know why you would want it. I'll take care of the two people who matter to me, and the rest is nothing but more dust....and there's enough of that here already.

And Emily will be standing in the hallway, her eyes sparkling, her long wait over at last. And I'll reach for her hand, and she'll reach for mine, and when our fingers twine together there'll be no turning back. "Is it really finally over Jim? Can we really finally start our lives now?" "Yes we can, Angel. You saw my body lying on the bed, didn't you? It's someone else's problem now...."

And before we walk out the door we'll stop to kick the dust off our shoes on the old cast iron step that leads out of here. And the dust will settle on the tile and the slate, but we'll be so far gone by then.... And the stars and moons and comets will try to suck our light up but it will be too much for them.