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Your smile
by David N. Muxo


Your smile reminds me of a party
from the secret corners of my youth.
How awkward I must have been, and looked.
How silly in a shirt too big (at least the collar was),
my tie too long, though I had practiced
in the mirror that whole afternoon.
Of course my loafers sqeaked.
My socks were white, my hair slicked back
(the wethead hadn't died as yet, you understand),
my fly unzipped (Melissa liked to see me squirm,
and always found a way to tell me all the things
my best friend would not tell).
But I knew my mortal coil had shuffled off
when Cynthia Smythe Hyphen Jones
(be still my heart!) refused to dance with me.
I sank into despair. Then, suddenly, there you were
(your smile, you understand, not you)
across the room. A smile like yours and I was
Alan Ladd or Robin Hood, the frog transformed.
Adventure waited while I held my breath.
The rest is history.