My Birthday

It was a clear cold rain that fell against the window pane,

Chilling our skin

Our minds

Our clothes.

As if never to be warm again.

The rain fell silent

As the cold.

Hollow plastic cups, white bellied in the headlights, rolled methodically over the cement path below the archway.

Cheap purple wine in plastic cups. Chunks of orange sherbet pooling in the dim pure pink of the bowl. Smiles.

A low cut satin dress and forced ringlets of straight hair, falling gently all around. Just as the eyes. Just as the gaze. Forced and gentle. Changing slightly with each sip from the plastic cup.

Embrace

Fall away. Melt back in. Drown in conversations and dull slur of music tinkering from the mismash speakers and microphone, kissing awkwardly upon the table. As if they never should have spoken, but brighten the room in their oddities.

Frosted cupcakes sprinkled rainbow, stabbed with a black and white candle, glowing before tiredly happy eyes. Glad for the known surprise. One..two...three...wish. Lost in a breath. Eaten without a care. Eyes closing.

Now I'm here.