Temptation & Seduction

Long ago, we each had a role to play
temptation and seduction
like a movie without a script
we improvised
because we were so young
and the nights lasted that much longer
and we were grateful for every second of darkness outside
outside in perfectly manicured gardens
the cool grass covered in a midnight dew
soaking through jeans and t-shirts
we kicked our shoes off and dashed into lakes
and laughed and breathed and sang and knew
beyond a shadow of a doubt that no one in the world had ever felt the way
we did
no one on this planet knew the secret of love, the feel of wet grass under
bare feet on late summer nights
we watched the moon and she watched us and she promised to keep our secret
bright and full
in beds of flowers bursting with color
our young bodies bare
not yet knowing what it means to be inhibited
skin like petals
soft and fragrant
the trees shuffling their branches in a private dance only we could hear
the music
lips and whispers entangled
so new and yet ancient
tasting like life itself, fresh and true and hungry
we rolled and turned with the earth spinning beneath us
air so sweet,
sweet with jealousy
as we drank our youth
those nights, now so far and always so near
not a single summer passes without a reminiscence
the trees still dance and the moon still glows
and a year of our youth is peeled off
while our hearts grow cooler
darkness no longer holds the same magic
we grow and grow a greater distance between us
though you will always remain with me,
a precious charm recalled on late summer nights
while the scent of flowers in first bloom
still brings your name to my lips