At Mississippi River Gorge between Minneapolis
& Saint Paul there’s a savanna with scattered 
oak trees. Groundlayer of prairie grasses
& wildflowers. Off the walking trail, Jake O’ Reilly
 
& I found a wild, private patch. In this version 
I wasn’t afraid of my body, so when he unzipped
his faded Levis I didn’t look away. My hair
tangled with coneflowers & black-eyed susans.
 
I embraced him feverishly, shut out the rest
of the world. In this version I smell him, taste him. 
Jake got a steady job making sesame bagels.
In this version we made love several times a night.