I Knew That

Bronxville, NY, February 21, 2007:


I Knew That


I made love with a 16-year old

contortionist last night.

We met in aisle 6 of A&P—
oils, sugar, cake mix.


I read the ingredients off the red
Devils food cake box:
cocoa, flour…artificial color,
artificial flavoring.


“Sounds like poetry to me,” she teased.
“It is,” I said,
slowly, turning to her,
slowly.


“You don’t look like
you eat much cake,”
she continued.


“I don’t,” I concurred,
explaining,
“I was looking for salt.”


“Hmmm,” she hummed,
“I make a mean scrambled eggs
and tomatoes,” she
smiled, “…with no salt.”


“Hmmmm,” I hummed back,
smiling.


“I happen to have a some eggs
and a couple of tomatoes
here in my basket.”


In fact, that was all that
I had in my basket.


“I knew that,” she said
as she looked up from my basket,
batting her eyes, adding,
“I do like OJ with my eggs,” and asking,
“Do you have coffee?”


“Yes,” I smiled,
again.


At the cashier she told me,
“I ran away from the circus
last night.”


“Oh?,” I uttered, adding
“I knew that,”
batting my eyes.


I made love with a 16-yer old
contortionist last night.



*fictional poetry based on a real conversation