tensions

when she walked
into his territory
for the first time
she was relived by
how relaxed he was

that it was a warm hug
instead of
an insistent exploration

perhaps he felt her trembling
and let it go at that

only she
wanted it to last forever

only he
was impatient to move on

she
wanted him to wait for her
to finish telling her stories
to touch, to rub her face
to smell, to let it sink in
before she smiled, winked
and let it unfold

and she instead
felt his impatience
rigid, tense open palms
that stopped themselves
from probing
because she was not done
talking yet

his replies came faster
his questions more hurried
please say yes or no darling,
and let's move on,
she could almost hear
the subtext in the staccato

finally she might give 
a mental sigh
and stop talking
and let him smile and
see his eyes light up

not that she disliked
whatever followed

only that she wished
it happened
at her own pace
instead of always being
hurried into it

so sometime she might
simply disengage with a sigh
pry those rigid hands off of her
and go away,
her heart full of
his eyes full of hurt

him believing she
did not love him
did not appreciate
what he had to offer

and her believing
he had no care for her well being
no penny for her thoughts
and no use for her
other than the entirely banal