neurosis?

My neighbour buzzed me, "do you have a minute?"

He came upstairs and asked if I could watch his car. The alarm isn't working.

Then he said, "You know what I realized about you?"

Me: What?

Him: You're way more neurotic than you let on.

Me: (laughing) Really? And how do you know?

Him: I just figured it out. It took me a long time, but finally all the pieces came together and it all made sense.

Me: (still laughing, but less comfortably) What was the last piece of the puzzle?

Him: Those shoes. I was wondering, "why didn't she buy those shoes? They were perfect." And then I realized, that was it. They were perfect. For me, when someone is perfect I freak out, I can't take it. And then I had it: dating = shoes. Something stopped you from getting those perfect shoes.

Me: I don't know.

Him: No, but I do.

------

Ode to Joy

I remember...
Running in the cold after rabbits.
"Do you think they're leading us somewhere?" "Let's find out..."
Holding hands on the corner. No thinking, just doing.
Cold, but not feeling it.
The trees reaching up so high to the clear sky.
No blanket of clouds to keep us warm.
Lips chapped.
"One last thing before going home," says me. "The playground," says you.
Climbing as best I can with Grover-hands.
Lying under the mini-house, staring up until one moment of contact.
Here.
Lips chapped.
Last thing's first.
And you hold me all night long.