Freedom of

.

There is a woman
like an underwear add
                           or a magazine of nudes
                   who seems to be with him
but her heart is not in it

Leaning over her dark face
                kissing            her
               perfect
                     dark
                      lips
                   He wants them around him

        but is afraid to ask

Penetrating into
                            what seems like a void

She is too empty
or distracted
                                    and feeling nothing
he gives up

…

In a room
                          with a magazine
                                    of naked women
                                             explicit positions
liking neither                  
                              the models nor the photographs

…

In a studio
                              where one woman
                                           or more
is posing

…

Later
                 he is let out
of a white taxi
driven by a late
                                             middle aged man
Pahn realizes
                               as the taxi drives away
that he is naked
                                                            under a cloudy sky
                                               lit up by lightning
He runs first toward                                                           
the taxi to get his clothes

but changes his mind
and runs for home

through the neighborhood where he

grew up holding his genitals
to hide them

He doesn’t hold them now
              because no one is around
and he isn’t ashamed

Running faster than he thought he could
with little exertion                       
through the breeze
He is surprised at                                                      
                                            how good this feels
                                        the wind
on his thin body

When he arrives at his                                               
childhood home                                       
he finds Ahnjehlia and Aiks
                                                         and neither is concerned
by his nudity