Of course I knew him,
(From World History)
Not really smart,
Not especially dumb,
And with a nose bigger than his chin.

February blasted bitterly
As we fled to the auditorium,
Only to fight the wind jammed door
Followed by the ambling reluctant crowd
Mulling toward the meager seating.

Mobbed, I found myself friendless.
The program was starting.
I sat down beside him,
Only to wait unexpectedly
For the bumbling tech crew.

As I noted his naked legs,
"What an idiot!" I thought.
"Knee high shorts and sandals
On a day like today?
Was it a fashion statement?"

Unexpectedly, he was friendly,
"What are you reading for Olsen's class?"
"A kids-level biography of Julius Caesar," I confessed.
"Me too, except it's on St Francis of Assissi."
Then I really noticed his legs:

Covered with three-quarter-inch-length
Mouse colored hairs.
"Disgusting," I thought;
"Though it may keep him warm,"
I chuckled to myself.

The delay continued
As did the shallow dialoge on Olsen's class.
But the legs bothered me.
I could't keep from glancing:
Thin, but well-calved, and so furry.

He then started twisting clusters of that hair
Into tousled little cones.
I was honestly amazed
But too embarassed to comment.
"Long, huh?" he grunted.

"It's certainly not anything I could boast,"
I tried to say with proper revulsion.
"And they're stiff," he said,
"Just touch one."
The lights dimmed; the audience quieted.

But I reached out--
"Yep, prickley," I responded.
And inside I suddenly felt weak,
And a tingly warmth spread throughout me--
And I didn't know why.

03/01/2005

Author's Note: Observation 25 Feb. 05

Posted on 03/01/2005
Copyright © 2024 Leonard M Hawkes