POETRY
Romantic Creek Proposal
Love Story on Plaid Blanket
Mary and Eric sat on a plaid
blanket at Eden Creek.
After they spun a bottle
and settled on a dare,
Mary’s cherry lipgloss
glistened on Eric’s neck.
What could go wrong?
Eric wondered about things
like that when his heart thumped
in his chest like the beat of a drum
to the rhythm of a sappy love song.
The serene creek whooshed
over dense rocks, rippling
the moon’s reflection.
The twinkle in the stars
applauded the sun’s
good riddance for the evening
as it sank below the horizon.
Crisp leaves camouflaged
the neatly trimmed
grass that stretched
to the Pine Bridge.
A breeze separated
skeletal Rowan tree branches,
moving loose strands of Mary’s
hair on her cheek.
She tucked her long,
dark bangs behind her ear.
Eric studied Mary,
but other than spending
time with her, he didn’t know
what he wanted to find.
Her sun-kissed skin
and freckles that obscured
her deep emerald eyes
hid secrets of loving him
or loving him not?
Which one he had to know.
Eric’s stomach tightened
when she drifted her eyes to his.
Mary couldn’t wait to finish
high school, and leave her house.
Eric nodded along to her dreams,
hoping one day he’d cross her mind
and make it across the friend zone.
Eric’s father expected him to graduate
from college.
He wanted to open a coffee shop.
Mary swung free smile
calmed his nerves
and brewed his curiosity
at the same time.
Eric scrapped his hand
through his thick, brown hair
to loosen the nervous tension
in his arms.
Eric moved his head
close to hers.
Mary grabbed his hand
and brought it to cup her cheek.
Eric planted his truth on her lips,
and she kissed him back.
Mary’s lips parted, and he slipped
his tongue into her mouth.
She returned the favor
with her tongue,
and Eric’s shyness shattered
as he wanted more
and Mary leaned into the gesture.
Eric pressed his lips
against Mary’s soft mouth.
Passion dripped into his veins.
Eric opened his eyes
to her smokey gaze.
Mary’s hickey caused
her a month of lockdown.
Mary wondered when I’d
get the courage to do
what he did.
After some time, love
grew in his heart.
What could go wrong?
Three months later,
Eric wore the passion
of her mint breath
that caressed his
chapped lips before
he popped her cherry.
The scorching rays
withdrew the warmth
that had enveloped the familiar,
well-beaten path of the fading hot days
hit the road like a mirage
in a drought of the heart,
crunching over the rocks
and the dirt road echoed autumn.
It all started three years ago.
The first time Eric and Mary met
eased a collision with fate.
Eric moved down a dimly lit hall
with students chatting and opening
and closing lockers.
He stewed in loneliness.
Eric thought about a lover when someone
bumped into him.
His books flew out of his hands.
A bundle of nerves knocked on the door
to his adrenaline.
It’d been in Eric’s nature to tell
a person to go to hell
if they ran into him without
a full-throated apology.
The girl swooped and reached
to help him retrieve his books.
He glanced at her hazel eyes
and swallowed hard.
We returned to our feet,
and He thanked her.
Eric didn’t thank people,
but he thanked Mary.
He had more false starts in love
than he did with losing my phone.
By the way, where is my phone?
It doesn’t matter unless
he had someone to call my own.
Eric started bumping into her
on purpose after class.
Mary switched to his English course
because her English teacher stopped
teaching after she slapped the taste
out of a mouthy child.
That led them to the date
on the plaid blanket beneath the stars
under a clear sky.
What’s isn’t going wrong.
The guilt baked into the downfall
of purity and all that it’s meant
to be had pure intention,
with conflicting respectful
regrets over navigating the love
life promised us.
Eric watched a romantic comedy
and the end of happiness
drowns in the tears of quitters
casting their fears
as the truth of our youth.
What was wrong with love
at 17?
Unrealistic fantasies squeezed
the hope-drenched in the bones
of the brokenhearted.
Only shifting to faults beneath
their balance, and someone
will fall when a lover
finders another lover.
After graduation, Mary
took a flight to Georgia
for college.
But the taste of her lips
and kisses on her neck
escaped the fear of lust.
Mary’s sultry gaze
meant more to love
than to make a bedroom
playground with cherry
candles burning on the
oak dresser.
Three years later,
Mary finished college
and Eric finished a two-year degree.
Mary returned to Yakima to reconnect
with Eric.
He worked at his father’s warehouse.
Eric had a surprise for Mary,
so he blindfolded her
and they traveled the highway
with fields of gold and a creek
on the side of the road.
The other side has eateries and hotels.
Life buzzed in the bustling city with cars
passing them as they stood still.
Eric thanked God that they took things slowly.
Eric looked over his shoulder and blinkered
to the exit and waited for a stoplight to cycle
through.
One year later,
Eric took Mary for a surprise.
But when Eric parked the car
in front of a stately old hall.
A light wind infused a melody of soft pop tunes
that wafted through the air from
the stereo inside the hall,
setting an enchanting tone for their evening.
Eric shut the door after getting out
as he stepped out into the cool night air.
He moved around to the passenger door
and opened it for Mary to exit.
He reached his hand to guide her outside.
Mary removed the blindfold
that had concealed her vision,
allowing her tearful eyes to adjust
to the soft glow of the surrounding
candlelit hallway.
He watched her turn her head
and move her eyes around.
Mary saw elegant cherry maple tables
adorned with chilled, velvety wine
and an assortment of delectable cheese
and meat platters.
The Baocicco backdrop intertwined
with towering Douglas fir trees,
creating a captivating setting
that drew her focus to decipher
his genuine intentions.
“The hay.” Mary motioned and blushed.
“Our first time was in a barn.”
Mary played with her hands. “And here I thought guys forgot everything.”
Eric lowered himself to one knee and lifted a ring. “I’ve always loved you, and I always promise to love you,” Eric said.
“What makes you so sure?” Mary said, putting the ring on herself as though she couldn’t wait a second longer.
“Because what went wrong was everything went right,” Eric said.
(© 2024 AC)
(Amazon Kindle, Spillwords, The Writers Club)
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