Tryst

by Sheree La Puma

                                                At 57, she opened the door

                                                To an eagle,

                                                Cupbearer to the Gods,

                                                A boyish beauty.

                                                Without regret they frolicked

                                                Throughout the kitchen, among

                                                The copper cookware, baskets of

                                                Oranges and green plums.

                                                The scent of lilac

                                                On the counter,

                                                Composing together,

                                                A dance of triumph,

                                                Legs entangled as they sang

                                                “Oh ecstasy, oh lover of mine.”

                                                Forgetting for an hour

                                                The holes

                                                In the fisherman’s net.

                                                “Love hath reason, reason none”

                                                And they clenched

                                                Each other

                                                Savoring the intensity

                                                As if it

                                                Was the end,

                                                Knowing her husband

                                                Was due back

                                                Soon.

* * * * *

"Tryst" was originally published in MadSwirl. 

Sheree La Puma is an award-winning writer whose personal essays, fiction and poetry have appeared in or are forthcoming in Juxtaprose, Heron River Review, The Ruumpus, and The London Reader among others. She received an MFA in Writing from California Institute of the Arts and taught poetry to former gang members. www.shereewrites.com