New verse by Canadian New Zealand writer Michael Gould.

 

They called it love

 

I saw the man I thought I loved

three times in two days, but

after that we didn’t have much to say

we kissed, though our eyes didn’t meet

and smiled, but a sense of denial

was already spelling defeat.

 

Was that kiss a kiss-off?

Was there a wrong move at the wrong time, or

was he ultimately never meant to be mine?

 

Several weeks later I saw the man I thought I loved

again – man, one-night stands are a pain –

and while his slap-happy smile seemed to slip

from his face, then hang in space

I passed by.

 

Michael Gould, 2017

---

The Spinoff Review of Books is brought to you by Unity Books.