Rejoining

Under an unknown tree ... to me at least
That grew under a massive pine
Between a two-net tennis court and an eight-foot pool
I sat, the summer afternoon not cool, not hot.
Just right! But right for what I couldn’t tell.

Ellison’s Invisible Man had taken center stage
For a second time intriguing me with his age
His time, an era that seems so much
Not different from our own yet so different
In ways that startle and often reinvent

The wheels of history, love of literature
Romance imbued the air. I sensed purity of heart,
Smelled springtime femininity
And breathed the life-giving source
Rejoining our souls, mine and yours, halves of a whole

And then the word became flesh
I heard a voice no bird or diva dares replicate
Novel dropped, the unseen hero shoved aside
I rose to my feet, as if under divine spell
And walked straight out to the tennis court.

You graced it in form accompanied by flesh and blood
Instructed on the art of tennis
The opening gate and the opener I later learned
Got your attention, sparked your intuition
Aroused feelings of true kindness, erudition

Came to pass after a classy introduction
"Hi, Mr. Security, are you guarding the community?"
Oh heavenly sweet music!
Offered me tea with utter grace and sent
Warmth over my soul, the windows of which

You looked straight in and I in yours likewise did.
Found a bit of despair, a trace of regret
Marriage and two kids, one barely a year
Weighed on your mind tried to break your spirit
Failed. Miserably!  Too feisty, rambunctious, free

My Narine, soul of my soul, spring of passion
Fountain of wisdom enough to hold court
With pope, farmer, sage or peasant,
To you oh goddess among women,
Completion of my being, I dedicate this poem!

                         --G. P. A. Dover

                                           September 26 2005