When I was a young girl
He had an androgynous beauty
Glamorous, vibrant, easy to love
Scissors in hand and talking away
My brother and I would race to his chair
Just to feel the magic that coursed
Through his fingertips
Blonde hair and cheekbones for days
I would get lost in his stories and
The way his eyes sparkled
While telling them
His lover Carmen was handsome
Dark caramel skin, smoky eyes, and
Sinewy limbs
You could tell they were in love
As a child I could sense this
And it was beautiful
Robert began to transform
I could see subtle changes
The fuller lips
More voluptuous curves
A higher octave voice
He had performed in drag for years
Making her own costumes
Exotic
Full of glitter and feathers
She was the toast of Miami
Desired by so many and
Finally
Becoming the woman she had always
Been
Trapped under layers of hurt and skin
Michelle emerged
Full of elegance and grace
Long legs, wanton eyes
And those cheekbones for days
Ravishing and commanding of your attention
I was completely bewitched by her
Forgetting that Robert ever existed
Years passed between us and
I rarely saw Carmen and Michelle
Leaving behind the little girl I was
And becoming a woman faster than I wanted to
I would sometimes romanticize about their lives
How their love would endure as it always had
That Michelle was still as captivating as ever
And that Carmen was still enamored by her beauty
It was a Friday night in Florida
I was eighteen and intoxicated
Laughing wildly with friends
Dining in a ghastly restaurant
That reeked of desperation
I locked eyes with one of the waiters
Blonde hair and cheekbones for days
Robert had returned
Standing just feet from me
Our awkward stare ended
As he shyly let his eyes
Fall to the floor
Turning away from me and my memory
And taking all of his secrets with him~
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