Crickets (for Adam)

Jennifer Paige©1997

I guess that wasn’t enough

     The wind-swept days

     In freshly mown lawns

Crickets beneath the willow tree

     Where our sweaty bodies meshed

When I left that night

     With my crickets in tow

You said I could silence the night

     And for a moment

     We were the only two people that mattered

You in your denim

I in my dress

     And the night, a heavy cloak of stars, about our shoulders

You smiled

I cried

     The salt you tasted there was mine

     I couldn’t say goodbye in front if all those

     Crickets

They were watching us

But you took my hand

And dragged me to you

     Rough and quick

You told me in whispers that

     You had to have one kiss before I left

     For good

     Forever—

The lips you touched me with

     Were sweet with smoke and wine

     And I quivered

I reeled back into the stars behind you

     With you in tow

I exploded silently

As you pulled away

     I could not let go

     Again—not again

You left me shaking

     Then you flew away

Still

     I shake

When I hear the crickets

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