(for my Joe)
I choose the red one
Long-stem, single
Nothing to be lost
In profusion
I pick up the silver band
And put it in my jacket pocket
The one with the dolphin
chasing its tail
The one you said you’d love
To have
If you weren’t still
The starving writer
I look at my watch
Still 15 minutes before
We’re supposed to meet at
That little Thai restaurant you like
Plenty of time
And not enough
As I drive,
My thinking moves to the future
About how you’ll look harried
From your day
As you rush up
About how you’ll laugh happily
When you see the rose
About how we’ll sit in
The back booth
Away from the noise
Our hands touching
Saying nothing
But everything
At the same time
And then to the far future
To the eternity
that will follow
When you finally do speak
Uttering the only word
That matters
“Yes.”
(c)2017 Miriam Ruff All Rights Reserved
