Psalms of Ascent



Can I come inside...? finger to lips and....
your parents won’t mind
or if they do you’re grown now and the whole house is asleep now.

Stumbled in through the front door. She wants to laugh,
but he puts a finger to his lips as if to say, Don’t you dare
Like its his house instead of hers he takes her by the hand
through the living room, down the hall to her bedroom.

He is so short. Actually a little shorter than her, much shorter when she is in heels
He brings her face down and the straps of her dress down
and takes just enough time to inhale the musk between her breasts before helping her undo
the bra.

“We’ve never.... Not here...” she begins.

He can’t say anything-- his mouth is on her belly
now between her breasts
on arms, on face now he murmurs now...
“Now,”

They wrestle their way to the bed.
On her back on her bed labor day she labors helping him lift up his shirt.
Exult! Lift every voice and sing!
(He never wears tee shirts. It seems like it would be too hot for these work shirts now
They work with the buttons awhile, give up, give in, together just lift the damn shirt up.

Face to face lay smiling
writhing as they pull each others jeans off,
pull all things off except skin
cup caress, cup caress,
arms and legs and mouths to make love for that long time on the precipice before the entry.

Holy words, angel sentries, swords of flame that thrust the gate to paradise
“You... Hardness. You... love you. Oh, hard... harder...”
Words give ways to groans. Don’t hold back.

“Don’t...” quicker, quicker, sliding in and out like a shuttle, trying not to shout out--

“Don’t hold back!”
“They’ll hear.”
“No one’ll hear.”

Thrust thrust,
Ride with me.
No one’ll hear
Don’t worry.
Be free.
Ride with me.
No one’ll hear!
Behold I come!
Coming, coming!
-- Oh, sweet God! this is what salvation was for --
I’m here!