Cherry Red

Cherries stain her fingers bright, Deep and dark as midnight wine. She pops them slow between her lips, Her smile lazy, soft, divine. The window's cracked to summer air, The city sighing, fast asleep. She smokes and laughs, her lashes low, Her secrets folded warm and deep. The cigarette burns slow and thin, Forgotten in her careless hand; I lean to kiss the cherry taste And feel her breathing where I stand. Her teeth are gentle on my skin, Her lips a quiet, glowing spark; She bites, she soothes, she bites again— The night is soft, the hour dark. The clock has stilled, the world is far, Just cherry pits and curling smoke. The moon is pale against the glass, And every kiss a promise spoke. We stay until the sky turns gray, Our shoulders bare, our feet entwined, And every cherry, every kiss, Is sweet and slow and wholly mine.