Page 68 of The Secret to Belonging

Maura doesn’t want a lover

too complicated when the time comes to leave

she’d rather keep things simple

(time to leave? you reject the thought outright)

you secretly wonder if Maura’s gay and hope

she’d trust you enough to say

if you were gay, you’d be with her in a second

you definitely have a poetry crush

but you are so not gay

the days that follow

are better than the best romantic comedy

he takes you skating

ties rented skates on your feet

skates backward

holding hands to help you balance

then swoops in next to you

wraps his arm around your back

pulls your arm across his waist

you glide together in perfect step

champion ice dancers

ready for Olympic gold

(he can’t wait for the Winter Games

when Norway will dominate in Sarajevo)

you weren’t wrong

skating is like flying

until he lets go and you soar

for just a second

gravity’s fast and hard

your gloves inadequate against the ice

before you reorient