I.

i heard Stevie singin' through an old jukebox
in the corner of the Chili Bowl* on U St.

i was orderin' cheese-fries...a chili burger...& iced tea...
snatch'd a vacant booth while my girlfriend sipp'd her tea,
waitin' on her chili-cheese-fries & turkey dog...


II.

my baby don't understand
why my stares be involuntary...why i be lookin' her up and down
like we just met...& why i call, "GOOD GOD!!" to her thighs
when she's walkin' ahead of me...

i can't help but tell her how beautiful she really is...
can't help but sneak her smile from her face on to my very own...


III.

it gets crowd'd...

i watch her on the phone doin' impersonations
& laugh while she smiles back at me and continues her conversation...


IV.

she says when i look at her too long, it makes her uncomfortable...
so, she puts her hands over my eyes...asks me why i look so long
into her smile, or her coffee-color'd ovals peerin' back at me...

but she don't understand
why my stares be involuntary...why i touch her so much, or
why i'm the way i am, when i'm in her space...

if she only knew how connect'd she is to my heartbeats,
she would understand why i need to be around her.


V.

i look around the place...see customers accumulatin' like dust
on a dirty air vent...Parliament Funk's "flashlight" is on the box now...

she puts away her cell phone & smiles at me
as she catches me dancin' in my seat, with my eyes closed...

her gigglin' brings me back to the reality of us, sittin' in a booth
across from each other...we both laugh...she tells me how silly i am...and we continue
laughin' at my expense...

i watch her while she's laughin'...rememberin' how many times she's told me
that i'm a good person, and good things will come back to me...

i'm thinkin' to myself, "it already has"...reach for her fingers...
& lock them in my own...


*"the Chili Bowl" is Ben's Chili Bowl on U St. NW DC.