Niacin Flush  

A few days before this new dump of snow
I found you.
A traveler.
A man, thumbing it.
You appeared like out of a heat mirage
Doing your best to impersonate a young Trudoue
Or Kerouac, Jack I’m still not sure I read you right.
You were on the road
“To search out some sustenance”.
We went together in the belly of my little car, my kitten.
We filled your two liter orange crush bottle with fresh alkalized water
And listened to Sarah Saline singing,
“Liars and cowards
  Liars and cowards like you”.
We spoke tentatively, never looking to long in the face.
Walking through the sliding doors at Save on in the park
You told me
“I am not use to search out food with another. I walk too fast I think?”
“No, No” I said, “you walk, I’ll follow your pace.”
And as casually as I could muster, I walked behind you
To the cerial isle.
You picked up a bulk bag of raisin bran
“You see I buy of what I have a need. I change places soon, that why I buy this a large bag. Normally I would have smaller, enough for one day to carry.”
I smiled as you tested how small you could roll the bag down.
I said a fearful good bye to you at the side of my car,
After you had packed away your good things,
Tight and secure.
You took away my phone number and left me with a promise to call tomorrow
“At 1 o’clock exactly.”
I went a flush – Hot.
Over the next day my skin reddened and burned each time I thought of you
And of tomorrow and of the heat we would rub off onto each other.
You became my Niacin Flush.
And on Thursday, I took you to my secret hide out, “my dungeon”.
A cold dark room, we lit it up
And made the small white stones on the cold room floor blush pink,
Burn red and cool to grey.
In the morning you said to me,
“I have a need to know what are your intentions with me,
Because you say your a scared of me, un pati pul, and I do not like to give a fear to you.
It is not good for my heart.”
I took the silver ring off my left hand and meekly said,
I would never do so many of the things we’ve done.
I would not do them, but with you, things have been so easily accomplished.”
To that, you faced me shyly, and said “You are remembering I must leave.
I must to work on a crabbing boat to save my money for to build a future company.”
Afterward, you left without a kiss.
Your pack sitting high, strapped to your hips.
We said a friendly goodbye.
And I succumbed to the Niacin burn.
Flared up and cooled to red and grey.
Just so many coals,
Wishing you had room to carry me along with you,
To Alaska.

 

© 2008 Corine Demas