The Gift

My transport
to the wedding,
my contribution
to a gift
that would float
the happy couple
into a blue
sky of
togetherness,
is wasted.

She went
for a haircut
came back
with a
snake tattoo
from hip
to armpit
an artistic
and unexpected
cold blooded
surprise for
her life partner
to be.

With the confidence
that can
only come
from possession
of an
indigo reptile,
she demanded
a pet monkey
as a wedding gift,
but simian threesomes
held no allure
for him.

Just as
preferences for
body art
and domicile fauna
were opposed
their paths
are now
East and West.

As for me,
I’m at
a crossroads
with a
one way
ticket to Preston
and twenty percent
share in
a balloon flight
over the
Massai Mara.