The collective air had been sucked out the town
with the madness now over.
Their team had lost
but their guys were were getting their recognition
A pleasant weekend of chasing pickup ball
all over town and now we were in the park
enjoying the waning daylight
It was good to see her again–
to finally know there were no grudges held on either side
No doubt I could’ve handled things
with more delicacy and tact.
She was just doing what young women do at that age
We talked for about an hour;
neither of us really saying anything.
Avoiding any past details that led
to touching each other’s faces
early into the night;
caught somewhere between
convenience and necessity,
lust and tenderness,
tepid and cavalier,
wrecking the perception of friendship
I know what I should’ve done
even while I hurriedly packed
running from feeling broken and disappointed.
She looked in good spirits
and that felt good.
But the biggest difference was that I was finally happy.
I hadn’t failed myself after all
And as it turned out I’d left
at exactly the right time–
again and again (soon to be) again
I felt the sudden sense of satisfaction
towards my lovers (all of them).
Happy for all of them
and happy about all of them.
Knowing that they were all the right ones
And knowing that none of them were the right ones.
The chimes from the city clocks went off.
The wind stiffened.
There was about an hour of daylight left.
She and I hugged it out in the middle of the park
before I got in my vehicle and left town.
~Edward Austin Robertson
Nuclear Polio Vaccination 