Three Conversations

2010.

I met him for the first time at dinner,

with our regular group of sinners.

He was the partner of a friend's brother.

I knew this when we were introduced,

so I'm not sure what got me all seduced,

...but I was hungry and,

he was beautiful.

So beautiful in-fact,

that, 

in front of everyone,

I asked, "Are you single?"

I never quite felt so alone:

he smiled at me,

with that put-upon face that could peel bone.

2015.

I met him for the first time at a funeral.

His partner died of hiv.

Three sinners alone in a church, we,

one dead, two alive,

surrounded by a hateful hive.

We spoke to each other,

so that he didn't have to deal with the family.

When the time came,

the father ashamed,

stood up in front of the church,

and blamed us for the deceased’s death.

I smiled at the man digging into my arm,
with his fingernails.

and asked, "Are you single?"
You could hear hearts fail.

We left the service early,

and got McDonalds.

2016.

I met him for the first time at a party,

he was getting divorced.

His partner, he said, had lied to him,

pretending to be a man or a woman,

or something like that:

he spat out a transphobic slur,

with my vision beginning to blur:

"That's terrible..." I gasped,

"Is she single?"
That riled up the little shit,

his punch caught me in the forehead.
Utterly worth it.

-o0o-