To the river
Was my request
I was drawn
Some unexplainable desire
Some unfulfilled need
And he, being
Ever the gentleman
And hometown boy
He took me
To the river

We stood, braced
Against the rail
The bridge, in the distance
But still, so close
Gulls cried as
They swept in circles
Over the water
I watched them
And after a few moments
With a smile on my face
I turned to him
This man who was
A friendly, familiar, stranger to me
And when I turned
I caught him watching me
He glanced away, blushing
I smiled, knowing what
I had only hoped before
We talked, learning, sharing
And watched
Each other
And the gulls
As they circled and dived
To the river

To the river
Was my response
When he asked where I
Wanted to go
It had been months
Since that first, and only visit
The weather had turned cooler
And we had become warmer
Telephone calls lasting
To the wee hours
Laughing lunch’s that lingered
into dinners
He had played tour guide
And confidant
Becoming indispensable to me
without my knowing
Together we had been
Without being together
And this second trip
Was our first acknowledgement,
This second trip
To the river

Hugging myself
Bracing against the chill
I felt him
This man, who had become
All to me
I felt him behind me
his arms wrapped around me
Warming my skin
and my soul
For so long
I had longed for a touch
This touch
His touch
I closed my eyes
Taking it all in
Engraving these moments
Into my memory
I etched them deeply
So that I could recall
The scent of him
The feel of his weight
against my back
The pressure of his hand
His breath against my ear
He sighed, contentment filling
The both of us
I whispered a silent thanks
As my eyes drifted from the heavens
To the river

To the river
He answered
His eyes glistened
As he winked,
His sly smile spreading,
Lighting up his face
This man, who I adored
And who adored me
Took me to the river
Our river
The bridge, the gulls
Watched over us
As we stood
Our familiar places
So easily found
So well, we fit together
And we looked out
To the river

Turning to him
I recalled that first day
Remembering his blush
No trace of it this time
I smiled with the memory
Wrapping myself into him
My arms finding their own way
Around him
I rested my cheek on his chest
Sighing as he wrapped his coat
Around us
He lifted my chin
And kissed me
Softly, urgently, passionately
Ease filled me, calming me
And together, we turned back
To the river