10.28.2006

Homecoming


she isnt hungry so
i drive her home
in my parents car when the dance ends

we listen to the radio and together hum
my favorite song
and as i navigate lamplit streets
she tells me where to turn before i have to ask
gently
like a pair of fingers on my wrist

we pull into the driveway next to her fathers car
but shes puzzled
‘home early’
so i exit the car cautiously
crunching leaves under my scuffed leather shoes
and follow her up the walkway toward yellow porch lights

hes waiting
with a grey moustache and a black stare

but she calls him ‘Daddy’ and
because she loves him he lets me in
and walks up the stairs

we can hear him
marching around above our heads

i smile no teeth
she giggles
my feet are made of lead

until suddenly
finally
her fingers find the back of my neck
her lips find my lips
her tongue finds my tongue
and i sway
unstable
absorbing the force
inhaling the fragrance
remembering my feet
remembering her fathers footsteps
until she pulls from me
laughing

and tells me
‘goodnight’
and watches as i walk back to the car.