the girl, who looks at me with a gleam in her eye,
dangles her legs off the railing as if tempting fate

The sun is protesting quietly in the distance
burning hues of red and gold
throwing tongues of fire onto the water
flashing angrily
but she doesn’t notice

The palm tree next to her shakes softly
in the cool breeze and she says, let’s run away.
damn, if it’s possible to fall for someone after just a day,
why,
here I am

she holds the banister with her long supple fingers,
tests her grip,
lets go.
If she loses her balance,
why,
she’s gone.

Together? I ask,
unsure what she means,
For where would we possibly go?
“Not necessarily.
“But let’s run away.”

What made her want to leave?
She has the whole world at her fingertips,
burning agony in the sunset

What about this beautiful world
could
possibly
have made this girl want to leave it?
“tonight.”