Theater Under an Orange Moon
the daring one flashed the soft underside of his upper arms when he extended his hand to shake. a minute patch of skin, pale and lavender hued, intimate like orchids. i gnashed my clumsy horse teeth together and trembled with admiration & rage at such obnoxious courage. i felt our hands slide together, the skin between our thumb & index touching in silent prayer. the seashell curve of his ear, the vulnerability of the bones in his ankles. we were never in love, but all that intimacy of the streetlight bouncing off his brow at 1 a.m. and several beers had us momentarily questioning. he slept on the floor in my bedroom, and he was so tall he seemed to almost reach corner to corner. in his sleep, he mumbled something about Egypt, and i pulled him into bed now that the threat was passed. in the morning, we shared the last beer and some crumbling chocolate chip cookies in bed while we watched the godfather.