--WHY HAS THE MUSIC STOPPED?

Higher Ground

And since we are speaking of love stories, notice that the alligators decimated dessert and have tossed their bloody napkins in the swamp where we used to swim.

Yesterday you waltzed while I walked deadbolt into traffic.  You spoke ekphrasis, said, “The Pope plays poker with Jesus, but neither of them ever wins.”  There was a grin stuck between your teeth, another victory lap glistening on your lips.

The landlord filled out faulty tax returns while every squirrel spun, squealing, high on splinters.

At some point, your new boyfriend undid his tool belt on your chest and performed an emergency hat trick.

I guess that makes him heroic. 

Me, I’m still lying in the crosswalk, singing songs without a chorus, still looking for the right key, the road to higher ground.