Something new

I haven´t posted anything of my own in awhile, so here goes.
It´s probably not finished yet... a try at capturing
a few feelings, maybe because my birthday is just 2 days away and
-like it or not - leaves me prone to taking stock?


we are the lucky ones
standing here on dry ground,
an autumn Saturday, this
Plaza Real, while the world reels.
these are days trestled together,
time to pick and choose
and linger, the cafes and
the train tickets. I can
rebraid your hair with
a hundred colored bands,
and remember a thousand
warm nights just like this one,
with its Mediterranean calm
with its welcome.
no use trying to sleep
with the neighbors talking so loud,
no use trying to sleep
since now I have finally learned
that something as desperate to me
as love
is but a moment of respite
is but a small, flattened clearing
that looks like a place to lie down

come closer, just for a moment.
i will stop talking, overlook
unnecessary details.
there is a sweet jasmine smell
in the breeze,
hours that taste like honey,
a trace of mint lingering in your hair.
i will stop asking these questions,
stop second-guessing my luck.

wake up. open your eyes
the music is gentle, the night so clear.
tonight, no pack of stray dogs sauntering the alleys,
no unlit corners where one split second
could change your life.