A Saint I Ain't

Her perfume lingers,
mixed with the aroma
of Turkish cigarettes.
She’s not committed
to a particular brand
but likes the exotic taste.
It is her only vice, she says,
and tends to forget
the gambling, the booze
and the sex.
But who am I to judge?
Though I don’t drink,
nor smoke,
nor do I have a bet
a saint I ain’t.
I played with her
a game of chess;
laid siege to her fortress
until it crumbled.
The husband, luckily,
was unaware
of his wife’s affair
and I was not rumbled.
I didn't see myself as a sinner.
On the contrary, I thought
that I was the winner
of an amoral, amorous,
one-sided competition.
Unfortunately for me
there won’t be a repetition.
She saw sense and decided to be
the faithful wife once more.
But if you believe that I am
a reformed character, don’t worry:
I have already laid eyes
on my next quarry.

© Luigi Pagano 2008