purple elephants

tonight feels like a dream:
the air, so thick it feels like a cushion,
muffles the voices around me.
the sweet taste of pineapple
and alcohol roll around in my mouth
and i am laughing.

the sun is setting
and my dress is sticking to the seat
and a breeze comes through the door
and evaporates the sweat from my arm.
we are talking:
about relationships, about life,
about the boy in the chair next to us,
making plans
we are laughing.

the crowd is growing
we are losing time
and the room is dark and cool,
and we are excited in anticipation.
i want to close my eyes
and drink it all in.

his voice is gravely and low,
his jeans ripped at the knee,
his arms support his tool-of-the-trade-
he is our entertainment
and i listen-transfixed.
because to me,
it is more than music
more than words he sings.
they are memories
documenting a year of my life-
a year of confusion
and hurt
and love
and heartache: with you.
just like a dream.