Observations

I.

Your eyes, John Kuzma,
look like aged hazelnuts
with two dots of hollow -
Light and thin and crisp,
perfectly round, and mildly opaque.

It makes me want to hold your face
and smell your eyes;
feel the texture
of your utensils of sight -
And peer into your thoughts,
with the knowledge of fear,
Burri's trauma of painting,
and the dimensions of our universe
in riot with the moon.

II.

You styled your hair
with pomade and grooming spray.
Raised and spread out
the tuft
bouncing over your forehead -
In the shape of a Japanese fan at summertime,
or the plumage of a dancing peacock
in the middle of Monsoon.

Your face defies the lyric
of a cognizant businessman,
devoutly successful,
yet unhappy.

A herringbone print
see-saws over your coat,
but your jaws still hold 
fingerprints
of the last words you spoke
before the divorce -
Marge, I fucking hate you.
Give me the kids and leave.

III.

Yesterday,
on the 7 train to Bliss Street,
you were reading a book of poems
by Gregory Pardlo.
But in between the pages
was a pamphlet
which read in bold purple print,
MALE INFERTILITY? YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Was that for you?
I imagine your name is Blake,
or Theodore.
Do you intend to father children
yet cannot?
Do you imagine a daughter, Isadora,
and a son -Daniel,
with matching cribs in nurseries
hypnotizing them with sounds
of rhyme and laughter?
Is it awkward at family gatherings,
when they wonder about her ability to mother,
to be fertile or bear children?

How mysterious life is sometimes,
I wonder.

IV.

At the Waldorf Astoria,
We met by the registration desk.
You introduced yourself
as Afya Bora -
Your skin was as black
as an evening shadow,
and your eyes were whiter
than ocean pearls.
A lariat of diamonds
spun around your neck,
as tender as a Christmas hellebore.

What brings you here today?
You said,
I raise money
for young men and women
in my home country of Kenya -
Who get killed for being
homosexuals.
Here, you'll are so lucky;
Parents accept everything so easily.

I smiled
and remained silent.
And watched from a distance
an assortment of guests
toasting to marriage equality.