This is How He Asks Her Out
Give me your laugh
Give me the sound
of a million stellar stars
singing
only to me
and I will never leave
you alone.
He says things
like this
to her
all the time
on the phone.
A part of her wants him
to put it down
on paper, or email,
so she can unravel
each muscular word.
The other part
just wants to laugh
out loud.
You can’t say things
like that to me
while I’m working.
How is the book coming?
Ahhh yes, the book…
I am stuck on the part
where the woman
finally eats
after four and a half days
of mourning her lover.
I cannot decide whether
she chooses cantaloupe or
tangerine for breakfast.
Or both.
What do you think?
You never mix citrus fruits with melons,
She whispers into the phone.
Ever. That is what I think.
And since there are
no coworkers pacing behind him
no cubicles detaining him,
he laughs
out loud.
I gotta run.
Okay, but just one question, he says.
Yes, what is it?
Will you give me your laugh.
Let me dive into your smile
Swim from one corner of your mouth
to the other
Carry it in my smile
like moonlight
on the sea?
-KA
(Kwame Alexander)