stars

I had only known her

for

a few weeks,

we visited the valley where she grew up

and

had a drink in an outdoor bar

on the edge of a creek bed

that went through the town.

“In winter,” she said, “there is often water flowing through,

well not always.”

a plate of fries came out and she didn’t touch them.
that was how thin people stay thin, I thought.

I heaved into my burger.

“my daddy wouldn’t have thought much of you I’m afraid.

you don’t really do anything.  I mean people can’t eat a poem,

people can’t eat music.”

she looked at me accusingly.

I smiled and ordered another bottle of chilled wine.

she was a beautiful girl.

we became almost drunk by late afternoon.

the sun set so harsh it seemed like a bushfire in the distance.

as we walked back to our campsite

the stars had come out.

it gave you the sense of being situated in a giant universe.

Suzie became expansive,

could only talk about the stars,

could only think about the stars.

“I want to move back here, this is where I grew up!

I had forgotten about these stars!

I would live out here only to look up at the stars at night!

I don’t care about my job in the city anymore,

I could work out here in a café or something.”

in our tent

she

interrupted our lovemaking,

“what are we doing together, we don’t even love each other.”