"Friendly Fire" (7-Minute NaPoWriMo Poem for April 7 & Tomorrow's Title)

Friendly Fire



He was the friendliest fire
you'll ever meet, the burning brow,
hawklike -- eagle-eyed and splendid,
black wings opening when he looked at you;
you, stunning in the view. He had a vein
constricted at the temple, a single throb
pulse of rage before he hit you.

The most beautiful man you'll ever meet,
full of I love yous and honey, the stick
and sweet spoil of summer sweating off
that brow. He'll need you. He'll time you,
ride you 'til it hurts. Be a word
he doesn't speak, a turn of phrase
in French, something foreign to this land,
the red dirt that birthed him -- first son
of a lost civilized tribe. He was the most
too good to be true you'd ever seen
and then you vanished

under a lump on your head the size
of an apricot, plum-colored, plush.
Just you, first. First Nation
penalty. He was the friendliest
fire you had ever smoked. He was
the quickest burn in an underground forest
of men. He was the timber, a tender fire,
and going down in flames.




~~~~~~~~~~
written in 7 minutes for National Poetry Writing Month
tomorrow's topic out of the "hat" (get a timer ready) is:




"Her Shallow Grave"

My poem for April 8 is posted at my MySpace blog: The Poems, The Whole Poem, And Nothing But the Poem.