Forbidden Poem by Don MacIver

Traces of musk lay upon the night air
Sinewy smoke twisting from chimney stacks
Horse drawn carriage ambles on cobblestone
Glistening from late afternoon shower

Dusk falls gently on this village seaside
Gulls swoop in playful banter overhead
Merchants roll goods back inside for the night
Their footsteps trailing, a shuffle at best

The fragrance of pub fare beckons me in
To consume and indulge excessively
Candlelight flickering as passersby
Whimsically stare in curiosity

My eyes shifting nervously survey the room
Clutter of humanity drinking swill
Drunken fondling and sloppy romance
Lude and suggestive behavior the thing

Across the aisle she patiently observed
A patron slumped over in drunken sleep
Scooping up change with a nod to barkeep
His last drink acknowledged, done for the night

With a turn of abandon she hastened
To cross over to where I sat observing
A teasing sway to her ample bottom
Her long flowing hair swayed in abandon

Easing her charm next to me on the bench
Our fingertips touched in playful exchange
Her emerald eyes taking me away
To a place ever distant, unfamiliar

The intensity of our wonton gaze
Burned as a thousand suns in galaxies
Light years away, ever so out of reach
Sensuality there...yet forbidden

The impulse to ravage provocative
Cravings intense, yet I must look away
Knowing this encounter is surely wrong
I beg her forgiveness and take my leave

My heart pounding heavy, silent my voice
Eyes clouded in painful sadness, remorse
For a different place I was meant to be
A dream that never happened, thankfully

We met in a nightmare, forbidden dream
Where tears fell in shame of what may have been
Our parting cast by shadow, bittersweet
Saved harmless from damage, absent refrain