The Cloak

We fell in love but refused to admit it.

We tried to cloak it in friendship

but friendship is not this satisfying

not this good.

Friendship doesn’t turn your head

to meet your lover in disguise

and not care about the basis
wonder where it will lead

or whether others see the connection.

Friendship doesn’t turn a leather jacket

into a fetish
a day into a lifetime

or a meal into a feast for the gods.

Friendship does not cause the scent to linger

or unspoken words to sing

or the years to roll back 

like the clouds of heaven
chased by the sun.

Blinded and emboldened
by each others' shaded eyes

we finally threw off the cloak
and walked purposefully and naked
through the door of love

as unashamedly as our smiles

as helpless as our need.

Afterward, we drove through the night
with the lights out

and the music playing

and the world was very, very small.

click on the photo by Tom Palumbo to view his interesting portfolio