Dream Walkers

(This poem is for my friend Tabitha who did the impossible and found me an ugly Gemma- sorry for the lateness)

The sun is setting but the rooftop is still hot
August in the city is always a scorcher
He’s extra hot with a bandage on his blond head and arm in his sling
The cigarette dangling from his mouth isn’t the wisest move
But he craves the nicotine right now
Plus, he thinks it makes him look cool with the white Blu-Blockers on
His green wife-beater clings to his skinny chest on top of his old silver chain
The light khaki pants with no sock, just sneakers look was the way to go
He’s enjoying the sunset and imagines this roof as his private oasis
A dark beach in the middle of the hectic urban expanse
All of this goes through his head as he tries to look smoother than he is

The girl lounging on the ledge next to him doesn’t have to try
Her short red hair is a stark contrast to her brown features
But it still works
Her amber eyes aren’t shielded by any shades and her smile is perfect
Eyelids half open, it is almost impossible to tell if she is dozing sometimes
A light blue-green sleeveless shirt covers her torso only revealing her stomach
Her tan arms are covered in blue and green Celtic tattoos
The cream capris she has on reveal the flowers and fairies around her ankles
These stretch down to where Arabic words adorn both her feet
Sandals casually lay on the rooftop near the standing injured boy
She looks up at him and smiles at his ridiculous effort
Her gaze lingers for a second before she looks at the last of their trinity

He sits in the shade on a green milk crate with his back against the roof door
He is injured as well but only with scars on his face and arms
If you look closer, you can notice that most of these aren’t new
This is someone who has always been a fighter
Shorter and stockier than the cigarette smoker, he also looks more at ease
Uncut hair crowns his hair in tight black ringlets above his forehead
His eyes seem to glow in the dark
They are browner than the girl’s but have a weird illumination
Or that may be a trick of the light of the approaching dusk
His short-sleeve tropical shirt is open to the third button
And his fatigue shorts clash but somehow works with it and the dirty sneakers
He looks very relaxed at the moment but it’s easy to see the quick reactions
It lies like a snake ready to spring
A cool beer sweats in his hand next to the crate
He smiles at the girl and then looks at the back of his tow-headed friend

The standing boy removes his glasses with his good arm
He looks at the red-head on the ledge with a smile
That smile revealed intense emotions- Love or Lust or both
She returned a dusty smile at him and lowered her eyelids
He turned to look at his shadowy friend- his dark shadow
They got in trouble together but, and this was the important point
The shadow got them out of trouble
The boy in fatigues raised the beer towards the flaxen youth
He tipped the bottle back to drink as the other boy looked back over the city
A new night is coming and calls out to them like a dark forest beast
It howls and bids them forward to play on that ebon rooftop
The standing boy smiles
The unknown is dangerous but seductive
Fun and adventure awaits those that dare, even if for the moment
He steps onto the ledge near the girls prone form and raises his good arm
As night finally drapes them in inky darkness