Antecedents

I hadn't seen you
in a while
and today
when we met
at the grocery store
it was as if
the days had passed
without a whimper

as you stepped
to hug me
and as your overcoat
covered our bodies,

touching,
I slipped my hand
down your pants
and felt the warmth
of your wet hello
as welcome
as it ever was.

We stood there
in timeless embrace
and as I talked
in soft whispers
in your ear,
my finger paged
your inner bell

as if to call up room service
for a secret blend
of backseat romance
and that scant scent
of being so informal
as to sigh
with shutter-eyes
and fallen spine.

We held that pose
for what seemed like eons
and yet the flow of traffic
around us
moved in clutched carts
and squirmish dartings,
all to episode
a circumnavigation
of our triumphant
prestidigitation
on the canned food aisle.

Oh,
and what was I looking for,
not to forget;
oh, that,
creamed corn.