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Miriam Levine: On the Steps of the Miami Beach Cinematheque

When I left the sad movie feeling happy,
because the movie was perfectly beautiful,

a stranger came up to me and kissed my hands.
I would have run away but he was so graceful,
 
his acrobat body bent in a bow of homage,
his narrow feet bare in white slippers.
 
“Do I know you?”  I asked.  He spoke
with more kisses, deft, dry, tongueless.
 
The stars flashed and faded.
The stoplights were melting roses,
 
passersby nearly naked—not me, 
my hands pale as Christmas paperwhites.
 
Soon I’d be eighty.  My hip ached, 
the thumb he kissed bent with arthritis.
 
His scent was lime, and the nape
of his neck smooth as summer jade.
 
“We love the ladies,” he called, as he bowed again,
as if to royalty, and flourished his hand in twirls of farewell.

Copyright 2019 Miriam Levine. From Saving Daylight by Miriam Levine.

Miriam Levine is the author of five poetry collections. The Dark Opens was selected by Mark Doty as the winner of the 2007 Autumn House Poetry Prize.

5 comments on “Miriam Levine: On the Steps of the Miami Beach Cinematheque

  1. Josephine Withers
    July 21, 2019

    What a sweet gift, the homage and admiration of a passing sprite!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Farideh Hassanzadeh
    July 21, 2019

    Miriam’s poetry is always fresh and full of beauty and youth even when she speaks as an old poet, I enjoyed of her new poem toooooo much as much as Ii enjoy of Chocolate ,dark or milky !

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Miriam Levine
    July 20, 2019

    Thanks, Andrea and Mike. It’s a pleasure to see this poem paired with dark chocolate!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Andrea Hollander
    July 20, 2019

    Fine poem, Miriam. Thank you, Mike Simms, for featuring it.

    Liked by 1 person

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This entry was posted on July 20, 2019 by in Humor and Satire, Poetry and tagged , , .

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