Upper East Side, New York City. August. 2014. Photo by Paul Goldfinger. Blogfinger.net. Click to enlarge
A Couple
By Charles Pierre
That man and woman walking side by side
almost glide together through the evening,
parting the oncoming crowd with a singleness
of rhythm that erases the differences in height
and stride. Palm to palm, with fingers entwined
and arms swinging between them, they keep
their shoulders straight and eyes fixed forward,
talking without turning aside, letting the words
swirl around them in a cloak of conversation.
His left to her right, they reflect one another,
both wanting an equal partner but remaining
self-possessed, the emptiness of darkest space
less a threat than if each were facing it alone,
though their need for connection goes mostly
unconfessed: a solitary pair accustomed
to the same pace, limbs moving in unison
through the rush of wind leading night’s advance.
Frank Vignola plays Gershwin. “Our Love is Here to Stay.”