he's at the doorstep

[Doreen Peri]

(2004)

i flirted with the son of a bitch for years and i listened
to his maniacal laugh and i winked and ran then blew a kiss.
he chased me all the way down into the tunnel once,
a secret abyss, a black hole, but i stole myself back
like climbing a tree, even though he kept pulling on me,
grabbing my feet, tug tug tug, he drug me down the hole
and i fought with wild woman sweat, screaming apache howls
from the bowels of nothing

i've invited him for dinner, prepared an appetizer of desire,
inspired him with poetic coquetry, set the table with two
sterling silver chalices, one marked with an X,
but he never came.

and so now what does the muthafucka expect?
me to embrace him after all that rejection?