BBC DVD

We are watching a
BBC DVD drama,
Our hands clasp
Then we conduct
Mutually distracting
Submarine races
Leading to her putting
Her lips close to my ear
Whispering our code phrase,
“Take off your clothes.”
We proceed toward this goal
Then decide to pause the
DVD and head for the bed.
On the way she pauses at
The bowl of fruit and picks
Up a vibrantly orange
Tangerine with exceptionally
Gnarly skin and large size,
I smile and think this could
Get very sticky fast.
We experiment with the
Tactile feel of the tangerine
As I muse that this is why
It is dangerous for academic
Professors to become involved,
After our usual escalation
Of events we decide to
Snap a photo of the tangerine
Held aloft by each of our
Hands by thumb and first
Finger like a gnome with
Finger ears as a still life study
To messenger to her best friend
Back home who is minding her dog.
We laugh and chat then take
Our nightly pills and she
Reads and I write poems
And the hours slip by
Having fun and
Playing house
For real,
Sort of.
We
Forget to
Eat the tangerine.
Perhaps in the
Morning.