Ortha na Seirce

He came dressed like a proffessor of English Lit.
And I thought he was looking at me with an air of distain,
But it only was that he wanted to bum a cigarette.
Feeling vulnerable I held tight onto my manner of refrain.
I wore my shroud of quiet shyness to hide my hurt.
So no one could see inside because I was nothing to behold;
Another poster child for white trailer trash dirt.
Silver, tarnished over the years without care, hid a heart of gold.

She stood at the door with arms crossed over chest
And I sensed an uneasiness with me but did not know why.
I asked for a cig, but was denied my request.
Her husband was gone, with him the smokes, she told me with a sigh.
I went away empty handed: with one unpure thought,
Of what it would be like to kiss her and caress her soft skin.
I had a sense, there was more to her than flesh I sought.
But I didn't know it just right then, that we were of spirit kin.

For months I thought of him as my husband's best friend.
And my kids called him Poppa, a pseudo grandpa that they loved.
With work and family I had other thoughts to tend.
With my marriage falling apart I didn't dream of being loved.
And though I knew he was Daniel, I couldn't see the man.
Until one day he looked me in the eye and asked me about my age.
There was a tone to his voice, I didn't understand.
A tenderness that was the key to unlock my self imposed cage.

I asked about her age looking at her grey hair.
Her answer was a younger age than what I had expected.
She explained to me how her grey badges got there.
"Being homeless and living a real hard life." Is what she said.
We studied each other for just a moment, starring,
Perhaps seeking something more than what we were able to express.
It expanded our friendship into a deep caring.
Our relationship headed into an unavoidableness.

I called him when my husband went to jail.
It was suppose to be just a courtesy call, nothing more,
But I ended up telling him I was feeling frail.
How my husband had hurt our family to the very core.
For several weeks Daniel guided me as a friend.
We discovered so many things we shared, but still could not tell.
The bonds we made just could not nor would not ever end.
Undeniably it was that we had fallen under love's spell.