First date
Annabel and me
our knees are touching
our elbows
our legs
our shoulders
I’m looking straight
but I can see her
next to me on the bus
our first date
witnessed by the early evening commuters
of the 482 Express to town.
The next three hours
Annabel and I
will spend touching
on the bus
at the movies
on the way home
I hope I can stay sane
all night
not to say anything
but say enough
not to do anything
but do enough.
“just be yourself”
Dad said
“try to act better than you normally do”
while the ghost smiled all afternoon
and beckoned me to reflect in the minor.
I’d like to tell Annabel
about the ghost
and Desiree’s moustache
and my poetry
but such secrets
stay hidden
longer than a night on the bus.
Annabel turns and asks what I’m thinking
My Dad whispers
“I’m thinking about the movie”
Desiree shouts
“about you Annabel”
the ghost:
“how nice it is to sit beside you”
as I gulp and ask
“what do you think of facial hair on women?”
as the bus
brakes sharply
at the red light.