a place beyond now~ ( Love Poem )

I remember
friday evening,
more than a long decade
or so
ago-

you sit
in a corner, hidden,
behind a half smoked cigarette

your smile lines
painted in blue

bitterness
wafts through
a half empty bar glass;
another bourbon down

dented cars outside await
as lipstick yells, ‘last call’

one coin
to drown you lonely,
another
for the jukebox,

you laugh
at my choice of song,
say ‘a romantic till you end’

shake your head and shrug,
‘fairy tales,
grim lies’

sad sapphire eyes
wear black coffins-

buttoned regrets
warm the chill
you wear inside;

fingers color emptiness
through graying strands
of hair,

bruised with perceptions-
leave to bed yourself alone

you meet a red-carpet darling,
build her a home of plenty
whose empty pantry sighs,

bitterness wafts through
your deserted bedroom,
another bourbon down

walk past me
in this cafe dim
in candle,
where melancholy
chases light

I blow out
fading rushlights-
hear soft winds
whispering my name

smile myself a reality-

I'm--
just passing through