There were hooks we never saw

Or clearly understood

On the bottoms of our boats,

Our little dinghies, those dwarf gondolas...

I hated their plastic seat cushions

And cutesy names like First Crush!

Blind Passion! and True Love!
 

(And isn't it always one of the above!?)

I liked it when we groped for each other

At the bottom of the boat!

What I liked less was the muddy darkness

And stench of watery decrepitude

That gripped us with such foreknowledge

And terror, or the saccharine mandolins

And hoarse cornets that cropped up

Or poured down from half-

Concealed and tinny little speakers!

But the hooks! Those occult hooks

Tied us to a chain on a wheel

That impelled us forward

Bumping along odd docks

Or the tunnel walls, so that ideally

We'd put our arms around each other,

And dump on each other emotionally!

Then fortune (that chain!) released us

Into illusory eddies where some

Jack-in-the-box or garish hag

Would jump up, "Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Enough rough noise

And abrupt light to startle

Us lovers us fools on a relatively

Cheap trip to crash against each other's hearts!

I felt yours! And wasn't that the easy part, and

Fun! But the light at the end of the tunnel

Was sunset, a rainbow of basic purple,

Blood red and black, slowly

Shifting over a miniature

Frayed papier mach? Grand Canyon,

Coated with painted sand

And glue, because it was End-

of-the-Ride, sweetie, and time,

According to everything, to whisper

Goodbye, and kiss! I couldn't

Face it, though I knew I had to!

Which is why in order to act brave

I brought you this bouquet of blue lilies,

Moments, and dark roses!