Memories of Romeo and Juliet

They begin by flirting in heroic couplets;

they end with a dagger and poison.

A balcony to climb, the proclaiming

and denying of family lines, escaping

with the help of an apothecary.

White angel wings, a suit of armor,

a fish tank with swirling schools

of yellow and blue. A coy smile

and an urgent push through

a crowd. He can't find her.

A pox on both your houses;

a pox

on both

your houses. Secret

kisses. Secret

touches. Secret

nakedness. Secret

weddings. Secret

marriage. Secret

sex. Secret

funerals. When caught

between two houses.

Climbing the vines,

ecstasy under white sheets

and tall trees. Romeo

with the babyface and blue eyes;

Juliet with the long lips

and the long fingertips.

Family couldn't afford to compromise;

they refused to plan for the young couple.

And the plans they made for themselves

broke down like leaves

in the wind. Dust

to dust they return; Romeo

a corpse in the catacomb

next to Juliet and a dagger.