TheBanyanTree: Brief Encounter

[Maria Gibson]

Unaware of time, hearts move along with their own agenda and care not 
that a meaningful moment barely made it to the calender, so short was 
its life.

Young man, so much ahead.  So much behind.  Rough around the edges and 
spiraling inward to continually meet and move in and ripple away again.  
Rough at least five layers deep.  Alcoholic, coke head, less than two 
weeks out of prison.  Tattoos everywhere; the one on his neck, a dagger 
dripping tattooed blood down his throat.  His daughter's names on his 
chest.  The tattoo on his right arm, a beautiful young woman with full 
lips and flowing hair, big voluptuous breasts.  Yeah.  His right 
forearm, attached to his right hand, was his lover in prison.  Might as 
well have a pretty face, right?

Kind hearted, full of generosity.  Embroiled in a life he gives no 
indication of ever leaving.  Tender and loving man.  Sad man.  Knife 
scars visible, heart and soul scars invisible.  He has lived a brief 
life of a thousand years with no end in sight.  In a different lifetime 
and universe, I could have loved him.  Him~minus the alcohol, minus the 
cocaine, minus the knife scars and all that lead up to them.  Me~minus a 
family.

Deepest baby browns I have ever swum in.  His eyes are haunting and 
quiet.  He doesn't like direct eye contact and I wonder if he knows how 
much of him is revealed there and that's why he doesn't like it.  The 
best of him is laid out and vulnerable in his eyes.  The lashes frame 
and drop thick curtains on hope and aspiration, resignation and 
desperation.  Saddest is not that I won't love him.  Nor is it that I 
got what I needed without promise.  It is him not being aware of his own 
spirit and worth.  Anyone who looks past the tattoos and all of the 
things about him that aren't acceptable to society will see it.  Not 
many will.

The kindest cut would be to never swim there again.

Maria