Soft Regret (Anna's Song

Soft Regret

Anna's amber eyes, with arched eyebrows,
speak of wonder, laughter, sorrow, sympathy, and surprise;
according to her mood and guise.

Her olive skin and dimpled, pointed chin
remark beneath a gown of straight, long hair
cascading down below her slender shoulders
that are tanned - but not as brown -
as what rests there:
which is dark as all the mysteries of history,
and more sensual than all the romances written.

Her legs and limbs are long and elegant,
she moves like a swan in its element.
Her breasts, chest, thighs and hips
would cause sailor's to lose control of their ships,
and drown beneath the waves of lust;
their last striving, the gurgled words: “I must!”
as they clutch for her and sink to dust.

As perfect pi makes mathematicians
laugh until they cry,
God's calculations for her smile
make all men pause for more than a little while
to reflect and wish that that smile could be kept
on a chain or in a dish to help them when they feel down,
or when they seek a queen to wear their crown;

but she is not a bauble, figurehead, painting, or anything
else that could be maintained for the sake of beauty
or desire.
She's invested with the spirit of life
and has a natural fire
that burns sweetly and brightly;
but like a fire can only be fed and nurtured;
like a fire she must be respected;
like a fire she can't be expected
to live for another -
without air and freedom but just a lover
as her fuel
to burn up in her presence
and, after in her absence, to turn gray
and cool and empty-headed as a fool.

I love her now and will love her always,
not because of her beauty so pleasing to all boys;
but because once, when we were young, she smiled and laughed
and was kind to some
like me who didn't believe that girls like her
could still be here
could still be one
who would laugh and listen to me
even when I was completely dumb;
and sing my song to her.
And, once it's sung,
regret that it was done at all;
but done it is,
and now it's done.

Copyright 2009