walking bishop back to moonlight
i foreclosed on two homes & a lover
then found this man
with thick brown hair, scalp buried
beneath a jungle—
with a mind, black as a night full of rain.
filled with ghosts, from east & west,
he animated & elevated
into a manic suitor
which called to me like a siren’s mouth.
we made temptation into a game:
our bodies confided,
knowing we already knew
how to play,
though by the end
forgetting
the other’s name:
i let him leave a mystery.
*
john compton (he/him) is a gay poet who lives with his husband josh and their dogs and cats. he is the poet with 14 published chapbooks/books, with the latest book: the castration of a minor god (Ghost City Press; december 2022) and next chapbook: melancholy arcadia (Harbor Editions; april 2024)