Dos Besos (A Brief Love Story)

1
The morning sun warmed the dew
from the opening rosebud;
a bee visited the fragrant heart of the rose;
the breeze tumbled a petal to the water,
drifted the pale petal across the surface of the water.
You surprised me gently.

2
I thought – hoped – the emotional baggage
was safely in the locker,
just for once,
just overnight,
but like a Houdini homing pigeon
it came back,
like a smart missile locked in on thought patterns
it found the target,
penetrated the armour,
and suddenly
just after midnight
I knew how Cinderella felt,
her new world sucked back
through the vortex,
as the life we call real
returned.