chelsea picked out
two long slender cigars
they looked
just like my
middle fingers,
brown and textured.
she said they were flavored,
and i mustn't worry
about getting addicted.
the brown cashier,
who we had visited before
let the last bit of change slide
as he pushed the cigars
and candy bars
towards us.
chelsea pulled us outside that night,
pushing two white
elephant shaped chairs
hung low to the ground
next to each other.
the moon stared at us in curiosity,
it seemed as though
he wished to join us
on the patio,
he was lurking so close.
it had been years ago
since i had first smoked a
cigar,
[the only one ever]
it was under the warm milky
south carolinian sky,
similar to this night here,
i was only a
gangly teen
back then,
now, i was here,
a girl in a
30 year old woman body,
and i was eager to
relearn this
gentleman's pastime..
chelsea's peach colored fingers
lit the first one with a
tiny red lighter,
teaching me softly
not to inhale,
but to
let the smoke
e s c a p e.
i followed her instruction
and took a long pull,
the soft apple and honey smoke
trailing from my lips
like a white flag of surrender.
it tasted marvelous.
i lost track of time
as we sat in the lull of the
quiet evening,
pulling air through the
golden embers,
letting the flavors of
smokey cinnamon,
bits of dried apple,
and rich red wine
slip past our teeth,
trapping it in our throats
if only to let it linger just a
bit longer,
then reluctantly
exhaling as the
tiny clouds
disappeared into the
universe.
we washed it down
with splashes of apple orchard brew,
a perfect compliment
to that tender evening,
i kept thinking to myself,
i will never forget
this night.
the company of my
very best friend,
the warmth of the
Florida air,
canopied beneath the umbrellas
of lush green palms
and black diamond sky,
the fragrance of honey beneath our noses,
no where else we needed to be.
it goes down in the history
of my small
mere life,
as a sweet and tender memory
that i will always take
with me..
2 comments:
This is perfect.
Okay!!!☺️☺️
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