the place
first time going back
to the place where we met,
the place where we fell in love
my heart was beating,
the body remembers
even when the brain
tries to say it’s no big deal…
it was good to see some people
from the past
and bring them all back
to present tense again
such characters,
such personalities,
quirky coworkers
and memorable customers
the smell of the hardwood court,
squeaks of sneakers
and bouncing of balls
and the sounds of the desk
the familiar ring
and the way they make you
answer the phone and say
that awkward greeting
the echo of the bathroom
and the sight of those
sticky and gross
urinal cakes
and always, the lingering taste
of chlorine in the air…
from the walk down
the macadam of the parking lot,
to the old and friendly
and always neighborly hellos
this was a place where I felt
welcome, a sort of home
more than a job, and the part
it played in my life became
complete when the place
brought me to you,
brought me under your lovely gaze,
the dire-fire in your
double sapphires,
the place where I now find
my passion and peace,
but it all originated there,
in that place
