Ode 18

I’ve got a story to tell

See what had happened was

I met this girl

We could start and end it right there

It was like my life began and ended in that singular speck of time

The barest of an instant

My life was changed forever

When I tell you she was a spectacle

She was handcrafted by the Creator

The epitome of an upper echelon stained glass piece

Hung in the wall of a church devoted to worshipping her unrivaled beauty

She might as well have been Aphrodite

And we all know I’m one Hephaestus looking mother sucker

That may be a bit much but let’s just say

I’m not conventionally attractive

When I saw her she was dancing

Body twirling and gliding with grace

To the sweetest voice I ever heard

Pitchy but there was a raw emotion

She felt the words she sang

She was surrounded by animals

Who felt protected and nurtured by her

That told me all I needed to know about her spirit

With rosy cheeks and luscious lips

She spoke to them as if they were children

And she their loving and doting mother

As I took in the scenery

I decided I should say something

But what, I had no idea

So my “Hi” came out so high and cracking that I almost turned tail and ran

How Bashful

She smiled and I knew I needed to say something

The nerd in me kicked in and I spouted some trivial minutia

About the animals surrounding her

All I remember was filling the air with the scientific names of the breeds of animals

What, so I’m a Doc-tor now?

When she thanked me and told me that she learned something new today

I was again at a lost for words

With what I’m sure was the Dopey-est expression known to name

I replied, “You’re welcome.”

She turned to reach up to a low hanging branch

When I followed her arm, I saw that she was reaching for an apple

Stretched on her tip-toes she couldn’t quite it and so I nearly tripped over myself rushing to pick the ripened fruit for her

When I handed it to her

Her fingers briefly touched mine and the nerves in my hand caught fire

Have you ever seen a brown-skinned man blush?

Needless to say I was instantly transported to my Happy place

It must of been too much for me to process

She sat down to eat her apple and the animals gathered around her

I sat down on a rock not too close but not too away

As she started to eat the fruit she began humming

This was for sure my kind of girl

As I listened to her food-inspired song, I was lulled into peace

How did I get so Sleepy all of sudden?

Something in her voice set off the melatonin in me and I was off to La La Land

Balance has never really been my friend

And with my eyes wistfully shut, gravity took over and I ended up face down in bouquet of flowers

I don’t know if it was the pollen or the soil, but all of sudden I was Sneezy

The fit woke up and when I opened my eyes

The vision that I didn’t know I so desperately needed was gone

No animals

No fair maiden

Just me with dirt in my teeth and petals on my forehead

I stood up and scanned the horizon

She was gone

And I was Grumpy

Anger always leads to poor decisions

And I stupidly kicked a rock with an open toed sandal on

With a limp I began walking

Within a few steps I was singing to myself

Hi Ho Hi Ho It’s off to work I go

Whistling was never my strong suit

But y’all know the melody