Rick Alley

On Seeing a Friend from a Flattering Distance

Houses played their part,
their insides lit like tiki lamps
blinking in code all night.
Around my heels, pumpkin field vanquished
its hairnet of fog to the moon.
The perfect evening! An ugly paradise
godsent by an unsubtle god.
But when I turned around, and saw him
from a distance
at his window like a doll against a screen…
Okay, I thought, I'll give him that much.
For this one second, I believe.

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