Suzanne took him down to her favorite place near the river.  It was half past six in the evening and they could hear the boats go by.  There was a constant hum in the air from the boat engines and the gentle swooshing of the waves left behind from the wakes of the boats.  He could have spent the night there on the blanket with her forever.   He realized she was half-crazy, but he wanted desperately to be there with her anyway.  They sipped tea while she peeled Mandarin oranges and fed them to him.  “The oranges came all the way from China,” she mused.  He had come to tell her something.  He meant to tell her that he didn’t love her.  That he had no love to give her.  None.  But when she spoke, he got caught up in her wavelength, the gentle sounds of the river compelling him to answer.  “I’ve always been your lover,” he whispered.  They talked of traveling together.  He would follow her anywhere.  He would travel with her blind if it ever came to that.  He knew she would trust him.  He wanted to hold her forever.  He’d already touched her perfect body with his mind.

(In appreciation of Leonard Cohen. Rest in peace.)

Click here for music video:  Suzanne by Leonard Cohen (with lyrics)