if only we could know...

on a drunken night
in the new millennium
outside the Chalkman Pub

I put my arm around Caitlin Cheannláidir
and challenged her to look up at the stars
without falling down

in the laughter that followed
there was a brief sweet kiss
but no more

       how could we know how soon
       she would greet the stars
       in person


This ninevoy is scheduled for publication in Modern Poems of Pennsic July 19, 2015.