Two Boys Holding Hands
Irish rich red buzz cutPacific Island blue-black feathers
Holding hands carefree and without a first thought up the Dupont metro escalator
Porcelain white over Kraft paper brown little fingers
They are no more than 28 years old
Buzzcut stands behind Blueblack
And slips his hand in Blueblacks’ front pocket
There is nothing lewd about this
Carefree and without a first thought
They speak of what to have for dinner
They speak of work
They speak as any happily married couple on in their years
I smile and think of my husband
As I hunt for the rest of his birthday gifts on this ordinary afternoon
I am as lucky as the two boys in front of me
And I smile and happiness assembles itself and crawls out of my eyes just a bit
No top or bottom
No queen or butch
Just 2 normal young guys who love each other so very much
A blind man could see their comfort and happiness
Off the escalator they are laughing and holding hands flying above the humdrum of the Dupont Q street metro exit
I smile and walk behind them thinking of my husbands birthday dinner at Fogo de Chao
I bet it will be over a hundred bucks, I think
It was
worth it
I cross Connecticut feeling queasy before I had reason to and then:
The sound that can’t be correctly described
The sound I thought I’d never have to hear
Again
metal and plastic punch flesh
twice – two different cars
If only they were holding hands
Buzzcut holds Blueblack tightly to his chest as they lie on Q street
Freckles and spatters of blood dance on his arms
Why
Buzzcut and I start to cry and I call 911 and ask for Ryan
I realize my mistake and shake back to reality to ask for assistance
I run to Buzzcut and tell him I’ve called 911
I try to touch his arm
And he shoves my hand away
For no other mans’ touch will ever do, now
So much blood from one small person
So much death for one small world
I stagger backward to the fire hydrant and cry
People ask if it was my friend
I felt guilty for I still have my husband
Buzzcut cries and looks at me
And I mouth “I’m sorry” as I felt his heart breaking
They were only two boys holding hands
5/30/2006
posted by Saint Vincent @ 5:24 PM
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