Here was
my plan for a cheap date:
Peppermint schnapps (generic, from Costco) and
a long walk through the park in the still falling snow
She did not have
a tattoo on her wrist that read
I taste every word I read with my fingertips
She did not have
a scarf that was
violet, dark blue, yellow and orange
She did not have
a homemade crystal pyramid
in her freezer,
waiting for just the right moment.
I made all of that up,
trying to get her to go with me
on that First Snow night.
The back of her coat, soaking wet,
took hours to dry.