Here's Janelle's
Poem of the Month
for AUGUST

SAND PAINTING by Janelle DuBois Like a couple of wacky Buddhist monk showgirls We created our sand painting that weekend We were an odd couple You were half my age You had half my vocabulary Buy you were twice as tough as me, and twice as beautiful You set down the first grain of sand when you caressed my bare back I set down the next when I closed my eyes and sighed and thought, "I want to give myself to her" We held hands We kissed, once, while both in drag, every so gingerly, red lips barely touching red lips I passed you affectionate, playful notes You told me you felt the same way I asked you to spend the night with me You said yes - then you said no By Sunday morning our sand painting had been swept into the sea For awhile, I thought about you every minute, then just every hour then just every day And now I just have a tiny keepsake of pain left, which I hope will stay with me until I die