The Incident
by Agelos Berios
Our first night out the trooper arrested me when following
You back to your place on the suspicion of driving unlawfully
Drunk. I had my doubts, but I told him I was not intoxicated
With alcohol, but his suspicions were fueled by the ice on the
Ground, the winter breeze of the Rockies and mainly love
And longing. He thought even worse when I said all that
And had me blow under, half a dozen times. When driving
Me back to my car along with the apologies he asked me
How long we were together, and I said first date tonight.
I saw him giving me a sideways look, but the prior conversation
Had established our boundaries of sanity. If only he knew
When I interviewed him on the way to the testing center
And said that if drunk they would keep me until late morning,
I had already cursed him silently because the possibility
Not to be with you that night would be devastating like
The fire with the good flames that mesmerizes you and
You should put out, but you want it all on a while longer
To talk to you in all the bright colors and warm sounds
A fire like that makes. I felt bad for the young cop
And his agony and wanting to make him feel better
I let him in, on the wisdom of my grandmother’s poetry
And the philosophy of my ancestors. I told him
That anticipating love is just as fine of an ecstasy
As love itself, when it comes on like fire, and he could not
Hide the smile. He immediately offered an apology
And asked for a favor since I knew his commander,
An older, high-ranking civil servant I’d met over eggs and coffee
At a friend’s place a few months prior, where we hit it off.
The trooper questioned why I did not say anything earlier,
And with a raised eyebrow stared what if. I shrugged it off.
I did not ask him if I looked drunk. Maybe I did for all the
Reasons I offered, or maybe it was my car’s broken
Bumper—you don’t expect that on a nice leased car—maybe it was
My borrowed suit or long hair, maybe my accent or all of the above.