Tuesday, July 01, 2003
Listen! The children of the night!
the overheard orgasm
it's finally summer(aboutfuckin'time!)
and all our late-night open windows
allow out, allow in these wanderers —
these tasty and tangible introductions,
these dreamy-fine how-do-you-do's,
these louder than window fan,
sharper than pushpin
voices in the dark.
I was trying to sleep on the sunporch
night before last, sweaty hot
with casements cranked wide,
one dying breeze away from despair,
sticking to my sheets like Colorforms.
Not quite asleep, restless,
I had one eye and both ears open.
The trees were black on black
through the screens
and I'd already heard the usual sounds —
deer, raccoon, freeway, cat.
I turned over, half-wishing for moon,
for crickets, for frogs,
for wolves doing hairy acapella
in my neighbor's backyard.
And then (whatthehell?)I heard it —
Not a wolf howl, not skunk or frog,
just a woman's loud, long "Ahhh."
Not a word, really.
No "Oh, god!" or "Yes, yes!"
Just a long building cry,
just an "Ah, ah, AHHH!"
racing from her bed to mine.
I sat up. It was one o'clock
and there were no lights on anywhere.
Which house did that come from?
Which open window was hers?
No answer, no multiples.
She was there and flying.
She was happy and loud.
And she was gone.
Curiosity sits on my shoulder
like a horny parrot
as I drive down my street.
Was it you, mother of two?
Or you, the pale gardener
with the blood red roses?
Or you, the suburban lawyer
with the dumpy husband?
The elementary teacher? The CPA?
We wave. We all wave.
It's that kind of neighborhood
We stop to chat on after dinner walks.
We meet over watery lemonade
sold by kids on the corner curb.
I'll wonder. All week, I'll wonder.
Because all our late-night open windows
allow in, allow out these wanderers —
And with smiles all around, I wonder
if last night, (ohgodlastnight!)
did everyone hear us, too?
Posted by Prospero on 07/01/03 at 09:20 AM
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