POEM: in spite of clouds

in spite of clouds

you can either kiss me
or give me a consolation prize
I’m hoping you’ll choose the former
because my spare room is full
of trinkets from the could-have-beens

there may not be sunshine
but we can dance like we had
long shadows to join us
spinning on the street corner
while the dogwalkers give us space

do you remember all the times
I didn’t tell you anything?
chose not to say what I thought
and hid my true feelings
in a cloud of jokes?

does reading Shakespeare
in this coffee shop
make me a hipster?
does writing this poem
make it worse?

my friends don’t believe me
when I tell them I ride trains
with famous people
or ascend in elevators
with TV comedians

but I like to think
I’d make up better lies
if my goal were to impress
I know for certain I’d be
kissing more people in my stories

that’s what I miss most
the kisses
real ones you can feel
through your whole body
like the roller coaster dropping

these clouds can’t last forever
the sun will be all the more brilliant
for our missing it
my shadow and I are waiting
to dance with you