I won't go as far
as saying
you and I had a crazy soul-link
or that a puny, flying Roman god stuck us
through and through with a mutually painful dart.
No.   It was simply simulation,
Oscar-worthy acting drawn up
out of an abyss of our fanciful hallucinations.
It was that hour or four watching a sun sink,
with us following it, glow-happy,
into an intimacy of un-sight.
On cold nights, I think of that muggy night
clotting our throats
with its cloying custard warmth,
a sticky lollipop flavor I mistook for Amor.

Sarah, black and beautiful feline.
Namesake of that other Sarah
Vaughan, high goddess of the temple of Jazz.
Your haughtiness is valued over the love of many dogs.

You carry the dusky mystery of the alley,
and you rule the house with sureness of an amazon
and the worthiness of a queen.

You have tasted my blood,
and your claw has marked my flesh.
I dare not touch you unannounced or take unwanted liberties.

Yet the special love you show unbidden
is as rare as desert flowers, surprising as a gift,
and dear as grace.

Hyde Park Presbyterian Church Got Spring Fever? Come find the cure with us! Worship Service @ 10:30 am Child Care provided Brazilian Presbyterian Service @ 6:30 pm Space available for small group meetings Sunday Worship             10:30 a.m. 3913 Avenue B             459-7747 mailto:hydepark@austin360.com www.main.org/hydeparkpc We are a small, welcoming congregation!