When I think of that bedroom,
with the cold, suburban wood floor,
Rene’s sultry grin welcomes
me with an alluring gaze
swept into the focus of my presence,
reeling snapshots of tense nights
ladened with passion.
The candle-lit memories alone
carry romance in the palm of their hand.
As Rene spilled into my arms,
the flame danced
and the wax melted the brown sugar.
The room we’d slept in for ten years
had an eviction notice slapped on the front door.
The changed locks left us helpless to retrieve
the only thing that mattered.
No more renting; we had the keys
to our new home on the kitchen counter.
Rene bloodied her knuckles,
punching through the window.
I crawled through to grab the keys,
and we left before the cops came.
We headed for a home our parents
gifted us to own.