Arkansas Black
By Carolyn M. Crane
As I rock with you in the bed
two minutes into the new year
our eyes locked like our bodies
I see the faces of men
who taught me how my body moves
I hear the names of men
who gave me reasons to heal
I see the orchard
where you took me at twilight
right after we met
our eyes still shy
you looked out toward the pond
I studied your face
the colors of your plaid wool shirt
I said I wanted one more Arkansas Black
the bushel you’d brought me already
sliced into pies and chutneys
you coaxed one from the tree
cut it quickly with your knife
wiped the juice from my chin
I tasted cardamom
we breathe the same air
from my mouth to your lungs
as we steam and grow wild-eyed
your name comes louder
out of every pore
you are my first love and
his earnest tender makings
you are the man who
lured me to his marriage bed
you are the father of my children
their faces fade
their names pour out of me
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