Fallout (Crank 3)

my wavering, her urgent please

closes around me, pulls me

in. I look up at the froth

of clouds. Cappuccino sky.

The summer scent of jasmine

lifts from a tide of titian

hair, and there is no hesitation

now, no U-turn, no braking,

only relentless forward motion.

Propulsion. A kaleidoscope

of titian. Jasmine. Cappuccino

clouds. And every trace of Nikki

dissolves in Leah’s warm rain.

ONLY AFTER

We are finished,

clothes zipped up,

hair smoothed,

does the thought

cross my mind

that someone

might have seen.

Enjoyed watching.

Got off themselves,

maybe. My cheeks

burn. Can’t say why.

Only after we have

exited the alley,

started back along

the sleepy street,

toward the hectic