Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek

ripe with escape
we shared crisps
my bait
my strategy
sitting on the root-weave
of a willow shading the river
feet white in the shallows
you licking your fingers
between gifts of salt and vinegar
lips glossed with oil
crumbs in the folds of your mouth
the slope of your dress
the dale of your lap

hip pressed to hip
a thorn stroke of blood
darkening on my knee
I fed you
senses kow-towed
before careless grey eyes

when you were done
time swallowed up
you brushed yourself down
our moment airborne
spinning in the current
climbed wet-toed to the bank
your warmth cooling on my arm
as above
your voice moved away
calling out your triumph