Two Strangers

 
Emperor Nero wore
flamboyant silk underwear
and so do you
but you play
a different, more clandestine
style of fiddle
 
Yet even so
when you're around
I can't help but sniff the air sometimes
just to check-see
there's nothing on fire
because I know complications
in our hearts
might mean empires
start to tumble and burn
 
I perceive this as
something of a Health & Safety exercise
a self regulating affair
sotto voce back-burner
acted out with unspoken discretion
both parties not wanting
to go public just yet
So let's keep the lawyers out of work
at least until
the final pillars crash and crumble
until all that's left is
two strangers
wiping dust
from one more painful divorce