Through memories the past is near,
A party in the open air,
A sweetly-scented summer land,
A star-lit night to proudly stand

With Charlotte in her starring role,
A stair-lift for my grounded soul,
A sight for any camera lens,
Dressed up to the nines or tens.

And I was only five at best,
Or barely four because my vest
Made its presence known in smell.
Its scent launched flares and rang a bell.

She looked beautiful at night,
Dazzling in electric light.
I looked like something gone from good.
Like darkness in her light, I stood.

An early version of a man
Who's strayed from caves that house his clan.
Somewhere in these memories
I spoke at length with growing ease.

A sparkling stream of charm began
To flow straight from this mountain man.
I spoke of playing clarinet,
And clarinettists I have met,

And playing high-pitched panic notes,
A medly of my anecdotes
That may be badly told and dull
But still my words can shock or lull.

I've trained my words to do some tricks.
They can't play dead or fetch thrown sticks.
But they can tickle minds and ears,
Bring dazzling smiles and straighten hairs.

The way I said the short word 'shed'
Made her laugh and nod her head.
My 'pleasantly' brought some surprise
And made her look deep in my eyes.

We danced in moonlight's soft white stare.
She moved with the grace of a bird in the air.
I moved with the style of a bird on the ground,
A crow who works to walk around.

I wondered what bright thoughts I'd find
If I could only read her mind.
In her smile I saw a clue.
She leaned a little closer too,

And whispered softly in my ear
In words that I could barely hear.
"Your flies are undone," is what she said.
It killed the mood within my head.

As light as day is dark and night is bright.
In other words, as dark as night.
My silent stare said all I had to say.
In other words, I ran away.

I went to drink and turn off thought.
I found the brandy that I brought,
A perfect place to slowly sink,
But just before I'd poured the drink

She found me with my bottled find.
She said she really doesn't mind
About the way I wear my clothes.
She liked my trousers' carefree pose.

She also had one small request,
Unrelated to the way I dressed.
She wanted me to say a word
That's like a brightly coloured bird

That flies and sings within her head.
The word was 'symphony', she said.
So I performed that word for her.
She made a sound quite like a purr.

When I said 'sand' she smiled at me.
She laughed a lot at 'estuary'.
'Piano' made her blush and blink.
'Penguin' made her stop and think.

With words like 'kissing' and 'elope'
I cast my fishing line and hope
A word that falls from up above
Will make her feel the warmth of love.