The Savior and the Saved
by Wallace Barker
and if there were flowers in your hair when I arrived
I was too distracted to notice
your slender wrist
circled by a thin gold band
the landlord told me your rent was past due
you would soon be evicted
he was demanding recompense
as though I were your father
I gave him the $200 I had in my wallet
and he said you could stay until next Tuesday
natural light pouring in from the long windows
blazing hot afternoon outside but in the empty space
indoors the air was cool and a ceiling fan turned the breeze
there seemed to be no furniture
though you had been living there for years
thin cotton blouse against
your dark brown skin you thanked me
offered a lemonade and a shot of gin
nowhere to sit
I held the sweating glass tight
and felt dizzy from the alcohol rush
Madeline, it was the last thing I remember
tiny gray birds flitting past the bare windows
shock of white sunlight across the blond wood floor
your green eyes watching me drink
and though I had come to take you away from all this
it was you that redeemed me from the wasted avenues
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