Auction

You have beautiful skin he says

His eyes running over my black skin,

Like a panhandler looking at gold.

His hands run down my chest,

And he remarks on how the muscles,

running under my cool, dark skin,

Really do it for him.

He touches my hair,

And tells me he loves how my locs feel.

I look into his eyes,

And they are shining with avarice,

His palms are sweaty with anticipation,

And all I can think in this moment is,

Is he seeing me?

Or is he just seeing what I can do for him?

I know how to move my hips in a way that you would find heaven,

I can kiss your lips so sweetly you would taste Elysium on my breath,

In a single night, I could feed your soul as well as your body.

Make you crash to your knees and cry because you have never been loved so thoroughly.

I could destroy you,

Make it to where no other touch could excite you,

Make it to where no other kiss could compare,

Make it to where you spend every night waking up in strangers' beds,

In an endless string of one night stands,

Chasing after a hint of the exuberance I gave you.

Tears running down your eyes because it is as ashes in your mouth.

I could do all these things,

And you have the audacity to poke and prod me,

With your surface observations,

And lackluster commentary.

Like I am some kind of farm animal being prepared for slaughter.

You tell me these things like they are complements.

When really they are insults, of the highest degree.

This may be a one-time crashing of souls,

We may be but ships passing in the night,

But when we look back on this evening,

I can say I came as a man,

I acted like a man,

And left as a man.

Whereas you came as a man,

Acted like a pig,

And left devastated.

Devastated because I will not be visiting you again,

You don’t know how to treat the gifts I bestow.

You were so busy appraising me,

That you never realized that when it came time to buy,

You came up short.