Two's Company

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

I spotted two teenage boys shyly reaching for each other’s hands on a bus recently and was reminded of this poem that has not appeared on the blog for a few years.

Gay, straight, male, female...when you're in love, the two of you is all the company you need. Let the socio-cultural-religious bigots and generally narrow minded criticise all they want...love has always gone its own way, done its own thing, and hopefully always will.

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TWO’S COMPANY

 

Met a girl at a coffee bar
and we got chatting;
her boyfriend joined in the fun,
hair as black as a cool leather jacket,
cool 501’s

As we talked and laughed
all three, his hand,
under our table touched my knee
though it could mean nothing, surely?
Even so...

My whole body, suddenly
on fire, she kept
cracking jokes that made us roar,
all the while his fingers brushing mine,
I could not ignore

As if dangling on a fence
of barbed wire,
my eyes fixed on his snub nose,
bright eyes, wide grin, bent on ripping
off my clothes

Madly, I felt him strip me

gladly, surrendering
mind-body-spirit, imagining my hand
in his shirt, thrilling to the frantic beating
of his heart

They left, hand in hand. 

I sat alone, stunned;

but, yes, he returned, no words needed

to say why, just acknowledging sexuality,

do or die...

Four hands on a table,

visibly trembling...

I could barely manage a shy, cheeky grin

by way of  that obvious question, his place 

or mine...?

We left that coffee bar

on a natural high,

more drawn to each other in every way

than words could say, but didn't need them 

anyway...

Copyright R. N. Taber  2002, rev. 2012

[Note: An earlier version of this poem appeared in my collection First Person Plural by R, N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2002.}