The Weight of the L Word, A Tanka Sequence

winter gust
beating at the petals
of time
that swirl around us...
this starless night we meet

caught in her gaze
I plant in my mind
a hope
that will flourish . . .
this budding of spring words

she winks at me
is love about the body-smell
relationship?
I start to unlearn
the language of sex

she whispered
I am in love and love
what vanished...
my thoughts of her floating
in the dark sea of night

Originally accepted for  (now defunct) Lynx, 29:3, October 2014