Renegade

Renegade

ode to Lorenzo as “Reno Raines” and Mindless TV

I 
Your six two, one eighty eases 
these bleary eyes that brighten 
for pretty things, and the screen 
adores every inch and pound. 
You throb this old girl’s eyeballs
now that David Hasselhoff’s 
Baywatch is rendering up reruns 
of reruns; your Renegade 
dismisses my school daze.
A martial artist, kicking in heads, 
then beautifully escaping 
the corrupt cops that would 
corrupt your loveliness 
in a gray cell, and leave 
your fresh flesh rotting on death row,
victim of their frame-up.

I tingle like a school girl watching your long legs 
and bulbed muscles.  Your divine face proves God.  
Angels sigh when you speak.  From hair to boots
you remind me that there is so much more 
to pleasure than is dreamed of by 
nervous network executives. 
I’ll write you into the script of my poems, 
because your form is blazing 
across the marquee of my mind.

II 
In my temple of dreams
you carry candles
& light up Indiana
& the church swells with voices 
of answered prayers.
Although I’ve never motorcycled,
I’ve a mind to hog now that I’ve caught
your long hair stroking your shoulders
& that shadow of Latin manhood 
stressing your sleek jaw.
I fancy I’ll ride with you awhile.
My body tight against yours
as you whisk us off to—oh, 
maybe San Diego or Mexico.

III 
Your divine face proves God,
and angels sigh when you speak.
The cleverest magician could not conjure up
the magic your image impresses on my soul.
I’ve known beauty in the human form before,
or at least I thought I had: the gods of Greece
flicker in the light of your Latin flame.        

But you were not born with the silver 
spoon of beauty in your mouth:  
you’ve pumped iron and jogged,
and grown lean on dinner salads.  your
appearance in Grease affirms 
your youthful form clothed itself in baby fat;
that mute, blond, Nordic jock
you portrayed did not hint 
at the solid rock 
of muscle you stock, 
and long,
slim lines 
you draw now.

A slightly different version of this poem appears in my collection Turtle Woman & Other Poems