Light trickles in, honey on ice,
whiskey on the rocks
trust
f
a
l
l
the earth, the moon
two tipsy acrobats: eyes, bodies locked
besotted they spill
she with too much finesse,
too many flourishes
no matter how many times
she does this–
he catches her
a beat too late,
pretending steady
she waits in the air, giggling,
oblivious to his adjustments
knowing he is strong
in the beginning
they’d rehearsed with masks
fantasy, lights, a musical score
enough to impress
their audience
of two
now things are simpler
with no nets, the floor is harder
with no ropes, the plunge is real
but it’s worth it: to leap, to soar
to
f
a
l
l
to catch,
to be caught
and, if their act doesn’t work out,
well,
that’s gravity.
Words and photo © Jaime Greenberg, 2022
