it bothers me that skin can be so inviting
it is the same old story
strangers
you are sitting in a cafeteria
you are eating your sandwich
and drinking your milk
you are surrounded by the endless
of strangers
conversation
you are thinking of the night to come
or the newspaper sitting in front of you
your eyes scan the room tracing sounds
and then a woman walks by your table
she is wearing pastel coloured pants
the pants are striped and wonderful
she is wearing a tan sweater and has dark hair
she sits down in a booth
and she is close enough to you
that you can almost taste her
you can hear her voice
she is talking in another language
it is easy to see the outline of her breasts
the beautiful tracings of her skin
her sweater hiding nothing
i try to return to the paper
and am bothered
by the invitations of skin
and the nonchalance of strangers
Copyright © michael dennis / South Western Ontario Poetry 1983
back to no saviour and no special grace