(Poem 1 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

David is beautiful,
especially when reading
through smudgy glasses
wrapped in my thread-bare sweater
because he didn’t think he needed
a coat for our date
and is now sacrificing his comfort
so we can sit outside where it is
breezy and cool and
a homeless man is making
him uncomfortable by sitting not
far from us spitting on the floor
every so often.

David is beautiful,
especially when he
does not complain about
his terrible hot chocolate
that was not even stirred properly
so he got an entire swig
of molten grossness near the end,
and his cinnamon concoction is
hard as a rock and
I can tell he doesn’t like it.

David is beautiful,
especially when letting me
read my novel out loud to him
that is mixing mythologies
like nobody’s business,
but he listens anyway
because my son mistakenly bought
it for him when I was the one
who wanted it for research I was doing
on I can’t remember what,
and no matter because I love
an excuse to read out loud
because it is one of my favorite
things to do in the whole world.

David is beautiful
when he would rather be
playing his video games and
watching his shows or building
something out of nothing
in his studio but instead
sits with me, Anderson Lane traffic
buzzing by, grackles hoping for
handouts, drinking water from
a dog dish,
the sun doing little to warm him,
but he knows I love Genuine Joe’s
for tea and writing
so much that he bought
me a gift card
and brought me here
and waited in a long line
to get me pumpkin bread
and hot tea
while I sat and read
to my heart’s content.

@Genuine Joe’s mid-day 1st poem of the year