Harpo and Lucy
Palm to palm, Harpo and Lucy –
Twin clowns in squashed hats and pre-ColumboLondonFogs –
Stare in muted amazement at the living mirrors they have become.
Synchronized suspicion glides through four sun-spotted eyes
Like a pearl drifting in honey,
Then evolves into the delicate delight of Narcissistic recognition.
They wind themselves into tight springs,
Watching each other with enamored intensity,
And then twirl to a soft-white sneakered, toe to toe, landing
When identical inaudible timers release their triggers.
Satisfaction and appreciation in solution drip from their bright faces
As they pause to reflect their utter perfection.
Only then does the testing begin –
Reaction replacing action –
Each predicting and provoking the other’s motion,
Each aching for pliant resolution.
Shoulder to shoulder, they mix-match each step of the routine
With instinctive masturbatory tenderness.
Their dual undulations become the ultimate duel,
And they are captivated by the challenge
Of the most fitting, most worthy of all challengers.
When finally one miscalculates
And betrays an inherent uniqueness,
They laugh in relief and tip their horned pelvises
Like a matador’s salute to the bull
And embrace hungrily –
Unsure if the strength streaming from breast to breast
Is only part of the props to be discarded with the horns,
Or, if in reaching for each other’s image,
They have touched their own.
