Pretty pictures…

Pretty pictures…

I loved love, but love didn’t love me. I told the pretty Austin, Texas gal. I adored her bare shoulders and her black dress that draped her skin tightly. She smiled and she told me. When your heart is ajar. You need to fall into the bosom of a woman’s heart and listen. Love isn’t catch and conquered. Love is a slow dance, need a listening ear, stealing kisses and a willing heart. Sometimes we the afflicted, we are afraid to show real face. Give everything away.

I told her, my name is Johnnie. She smiled and she told me. My name is Eleanor. A Southern gal seeking education and some fun in Austin, Texas. I told her, I am a career soldier, poet, a Michigan man seeking peace in the beer and the whiskey.

She laughed at my words and she told me. You cannot find peace and calmness in the beer and the whiskey. The beer will make you fat and the whiskey will teach you madness. Blind you from what is true or not. Truth is a two-sided coin. Sometimes the folly of the truth teaches us we cannot win. But maybe we can have some fun before the world is done.

I loved her honest words and her pretty face. I told her, Eleanor, maybe we can walk to the Austin River, drink coffee, hold hands if I am lucky. The beer and the whiskey looked less tempting. I like how you talk. You give me some hope.

She smiled and she told me. I do like coffee and good conversation. I heard there is live music by the river. She took my hands and she whispered. Okay soldier, poet. You are my best offer tonight. Pay the bill and let’s create a better night.

John Castellenas