Mating Ritual

She walks in sunlight
That fades her midnight gleam.
She observes the jagged skyline
From the soft edge of loneliness.

In the darkness, he felt her heart,
Beating in rhythm with the drums
And the trembling bass.
She doesn’t feel the music…she is.

He runs closely behind the others,
Holding his place, waiting.
From a distance she watches,
His shadow stretching forward.

Another song now, quicker of beat
And lighter than air, lilting
Over the field and the grandstand.
Over the runner and his lover.

He catches up with his reflection.
She watches him but doesn’t care.
He sees the finish line, pushes.
She reaches the exit, lingers.

Other voices flow through her.
He speaks as well, breathless.
Describes to her the burning.
Last night simmers in her gut.

Thumbs through messages, loose now.
She sees a homeless man begging
But cannot hear him through the glass.
Are you hungry? A little. You?

Outside, he dabs at a coffee stain.
She sees the sun slipping lower.
CORRUPTION! the newsstand hawks.
Taking hands, they hurry home.