From the start you coached me

To look beneath

The teal hat, blown by the wind,

The elegant matching shawl

Donned only for the occasion

The make-up

Betrayed by the reddening eyes,

The smooth face

Trembling with the touch

Of grief and joy.

 

Deeper I saw

Only more light

More sweetness, more willingness

To be known,

So unexpected at the first meeting

When every defense

Rises to the occasion

And couples compose

A flawless first impression.

 

But we were on the clock:

One dinner date

One hack at the façade

Three hours to decide

Our future 500 miles apart

Not so much speed dating

As speed revelation,

Skipping the pleasantries

Of the first, second, and

Third meetings.

 

The first unveiling

Happened in ten minutes.

The emotional dam

Broke before an hour,

Weeping, recovering, apologies

Tremulous admissions

Swept us along till we stood up reluctantly

Too soon out on the street

Walking toward anti-climax.

 

Swimming in disbelief

I pulled you closer for a few steps

As we hurried through the

Night chill toward your car

We parted with a chaste kiss,

Yet even that opened the curtain

Of your smile; my pulse spiked:

The evening had been no delusion.

 

I could not testify in court

What information was exchanged.

Oblivious to details, I even asked

what to call you at the end.

I would have trusted you

With my life, but I wouldn’t

Have known enough

To call you the name

I cannot now stop saying

Victoria.