We met under thick, foggy air
And I used you as an escape route,
A shortcut away from men
Who would shoot their landladies
And keep the memory in kitsch vases,
Just for the thrill of it.

Our eyes seemed to fear contact,
Dancing and darting, we never could see
What either of us had to give.
It was silence we were petrified of,
That sad, vacant sound that seemed to be
So loud, yet never even existed.

Maybe it was this childish fear,
Or the way our bodies smelled under the sun,
But I tumbled heavily in love
(And then hastily stood back up,
Straightening down clothes and hair,
Because it was a secret better off untold).

Under an orange light, at 8:30 pm,
I almost told you my revelation,
(Which consisted of heat,
Tentative touches of skin
And the way our lips look together)
But it stayed locked airtight in my throat.

Still there it stays, the proverbial mousetrap
Keeps it in place and I fear my fingers
Would break in two if I were to bring it out.
I creep through piss-laden alleyways,
My tongue left paralysed
And I fear you don't notice the difference.