The Sand Hill Review            http://www.sandhillreview.org             2004

 

East Bay

 

     for Diane 1984

 

Love arrived in a startling burst,

a blossom sprung free

unaware it’s still winter.

 

It is early in the evening, too.

Beneath the vibrant bottle brush

Whose wire red blossoms don’t conceal.

 

We picked this tree

as a reminder of how temporary

everything is, even goodbye.

 

The sun retreats past our words,

over the Bay, toward the other continents

We try to squeeze everything in.

 

But settle on a kiss

that lasts too long for two women

who don’t know each other well.

 

Jewelle Gomez