Country Song Man Spell

A gentle man in blue
Dark haired, light hearted
Would sit across from me on the cafe porch.
He'd speak sweetly as I'd sip my amaretto sour and
Let the conversation warm us like a fresh towel
After a cold Pacific dip.

He'd be a quick-witted slow-talker out-of-town cowboy
Who hadn't yet forgotten the value of the fields and
The feeling of grass between his bare feet.
It is here he'd seek and receive peace
Away from the world he often struggled to understand.

It is clear, he is from an undeniably better era
As he opens doors, and closes deals, and smiles his way through traffic.
He is honored to be the one with access between my
Sheets and kisses the back of my neck when we spoon
Through Sunday afternoons and bowls of mint ice cream.

He has a soft touch and throws a hard ball and mows our yard
Even though he doesn't have to.
He lays topsoil for my garden because he knows
A woman like me needs the space to grow
Something of my own.

On the cafe porch he tips the waiter well
And finds my hand in his under the table.
It appears to me, the start of the game has ended:
Man cast, spell complete.
Not a happy ending, just a happy continuation
Of the days that started long before
The gentle man arrived.