Oh, sweet nuthin’
She tries to remember the world in color,
pictures the snow as a heavy coat, takes it
off to find the soft flesh of a belly, the bone
of a hip warm against her and knows that to look
inside his heart means finding brilliance and blue,
like the sky after a hard rain.
turning to him, she touches the weight of red
when tracing the tattoo on his shoulder,
imagines what it’s like to be under his skin.
she is like the bulbs planted last fall,
buried under soil and snow waiting
patiently, she knows she will bloom
in him, sees the promise of spring, the want
and desire asleep behind his smile, with
the touch of her lips, she stirs them awake.