Before the affair

Before the affair comes
the look-- the drag of eye
across the room, up the face,
over the lips-- the pierce of
possibility under wraps.
Before touch come thoughts--
pitched like tents in mind fields;
escaping like convicts
squeezing through floor cracks.
Before the bed comes
the talk-- not dirty, but clean--
tonguing one word at a time,
filling holes with such sweet dirt.
Before the affair comes
the resolution, "I would never".