He has to leave. We’ve not slept.
We fooled around all night
while his parents wondered where he was.
We’d met at a kind of masquerade party,
where he fed me tequila,
but that was a different night.
The night we met I went home
with him and his friend David,
and although I slept naked between them
nothing was allowed to happen…
because all I wanted was him.
Looking back, I wonder…
what would have happened if I’d not objected?
Would our threesome have continued?
Would we all have remained friends?
Had they ever shared a lover before?
Did they do so long after I was gone?
I’ve never considered any of that,
but it doesn’t really matter.
Back in the moment, after our night
spent together and he’s still leaving.
He’s not even leaving my place
because I’m staying with a friend.
Was it in Diamond Heights?
“It’s funny how beautiful people look
when they’re walking out the door.”
Even then, I heard those words
as I was watching him go,
feeling the joy of what we’d just shared
and the sting of our parting; back then I’m
not sure if I’ll ever see him again.
I grab my camera, walk out onto the balcony,
call his name and snap the picture that confirms
Toni Collette’s line from “Velvet Goldmine”.
He was beautiful.
Facebook lets me know that he’s still beautiful.
And my many naked memories are more beautiful
than waking life would seem to deem possible.
Written by Jason Wright
February 27, 2018
