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I remember
undressing you
in my small
empty bedroom
in the middle
of the night.

I remember the
calming sensation
of being sober
next to you
that first time.
it was summer
and I was living
in an industrial
neighborhood
losing my virginity
again at 29.

I remember
lying next to you
and listening
to your voice
go on and on
until we kissed.

I remember smiling
as I saw you pull
off your panties
with your feet and
wrinkle your brow.

I waited many years
for a woman like you.
and when you arrived
I touched all of you
as if I had always been there.

and then came fall
and I moved into
a smaller place
on a street named
after a Frenchman
and a week ago today
we had a marathon
of sorts here

and since then
I haven’t seen you.

*******

Ayala Sella is a writer who divides her time between New York and Israel. "going down" is an excerpt of her first book, a collection of poetry entitled "soliloquies of a crosswalker". You can find the book on Amazon, where you can leave a review! For more info visit New York Quarterly Poets, Amazon Author Page, and facebook.