An Unfamiliar Me

I greeted her on a starry night sky
At the base of a dying tree
With closed eyes,
And a deep sigh
I met an old but unfamiliar me

Since then I have wondered
Where her secret lies
In the bend of her hair
In her bottomless stare
Nay, I say, in those dark pools some call eyes

Lit this instant, doused the next
Passionate, smoldering coals at the core
Like an open door
Like a curtain hiding
All that came before

A glint of a pageant crown
Of students, playing with letters
Intoxicating nights out about the town
Slightly be mildly buzzed texts
Ending in whatev(ers)

Made of more spice than sugar
Of puppies crooning to “Dilbar Dilbar”
A coquettish grin here or there
Defies her regal flair
And silently bequeaths ownership to you

The only thing that haunts me
Is to be forgotten like a speck
In her rear view mirror
Too much truth, I fear
Will, or may have already, ruin a good thing

A part of me hopes for more
Part of me still remains a fool
She arrived with a storm not far behind her
When she leaves (has she already?)
I would know a before and after

(I’d written this in 2017 as part of three separate poems for three separate friends who I met in grad school (I’m still in touch with all of them). Posting it now because I had never put them up, as well as to keep my yearly quota up. I’m back-dating this even though the commit ID should provide the correct timestamp in gitlog.)