Prom Night

I

I felt awkward, dressed in a tuxedo,
black sport coat sprawled over a white dress shirt;
the heavy coat restricted the airflow,
which caused me much sweating and discomfort.
All around me, classmates were chattering,
reminiscing and enjoying the night,
but I couldn’t clearly hear anything,
so I stood and staggered toward the moonlight.

My eyes wandered, my mind stuck in vagrance,
But I struggled through a caffeine headache
and I realized in my mind’s turbulence
that the caffeine was all that kept me awake.
Through my half-closed eyes, I hardly saw you,
but still you provided a stunning view.

II

You’re an indulgence I didn’t deserve,
but still, you were mine for a little while;
a man, self-conscious, nervous and reserved,
and a woman with a grand sense of style,
out on the dance floor, hands clasped together,
my dark eyes frozen to your smiling face,
doubting that there could be something better
than to be with you in that moment and place.

I drowned in the sweet scent of your perfume
as we pressed together for one slow dance.
I pretended no one else was in the room
so that this little spark of our romance
could become my one last parting memory
since, after tonight, you’d be gone from me.

#263                                                                     02-20-08