The bigger man tightroped down,
The arteries of his once hometown,
A pink bouquet clasped in hand,
Blossom of a far off land.
Clothes upon his back, shoes upon his feet,
Quite the crusade to groom so neat.
Jacket, trousers, burnished black,
Moonlight, streetlight, reflected back.
Aglow inside, his heart aflutter,
Quiet pride, no confidence stutter,
But the spring in his step he kept at bay,
‘Til by the brightened box he lay.
Of use no more, toy-sized trinkets,
Elsewhere he bequeathed their benefits.
His car. His house. His kin inside;
Brother by blood and would-be-bride,
Silhouetted by the fireside.
* * *
Laughs were laughed and drinks were drunk,
Titanic tensions long since sunk,
Icebergs shattered by the crackling fire,
Forbidden depths hoisted higher.
Twinkling eyes met their reflection,
Silence broken by confession,
He’d always thought of her that way,
Barely a pause, “I feel the same!”
Chinking flutes and linking arms,
Bewitched by each other’s charms,
The shadows merged behind the nets,
A solitary silhouette.
* * *
From each other’s lips they stole,
The fire that burned within his soul,
Darkness only left within,
Temptations of love turned those of sin.
To the sky he raised his hand,
Blossom bouquet become a brand,
A single swipe would end it all,
Like cards, the house would surely fall.
But tears took root, his vengeance stayed,
The life in his hands not to degrade,
In the garden the wood was sewn,
‘Fore to his feet, he rose alone.
His car. His house. His kin inside;
His future a past to set aside,
For toy-sized trinkets, no use remained,
The bigger man walked away.