Long gone

Supper was over
And he was in the bedroom
As we lay shoeless atop the covers
I lay beside him in the crook
Between his strong arm and chest
And it was bliss
How his eyes told stories
Stories of a man’s avarice
His zealousness; his unbounded vitality
And staggering arrogance
And how he told those stories
In his unbounded captivating style
Still emotionally amongst the rawest of raw
Who at nineteen already
Had to shave his black stubble twice a day
In order to not to look like a hardened criminal
And I remembered the stories
Of the carnivore descendants of the giant apes
Who once inhabited the ancient forests
And then left the trees
Where all day long
They nibbled on leaves
They now came down to work
In faraway streets
And he said to me
“Come with me
We have long dark miles to tread
Before dawn comes along.”