Between, there was always a romance to be lived, even in the muting—when the colors were mostly gone and leaves cast from their limbs; away from the wilds and returned to urban scape; where woods were a walk through open park, and solitude came not from place but by the set and stay of colds that left fewer and fewer to venture into the open commons; and nature’s prominent symbol was leaf of autumn silver maples, narrow veined and thin-toothed leaves, yellow faces and off-white undersides strewn along cemented, traveled paths. Even then, between, romance remained.
Walking in the open parks, he thought in words and stories of centuries past that told the allure and sensuality present, especially, in the smallest feminine show—sight of ankle, bare, between low boot and full-length jeans; skin’s show through slight hole or tear of jeans, worn or fashioned hole letting view through threadbare to sight of underneath; skin of wrist and hand, fair and faint from warming cover of sleeve, nails’ finger-tip ends painted in opal sign that shone like mood stones, changing in light and heat—olive, copper, bronze, and gold—as they walked in hold of hands; colors, warmth, and hold seeming changed with her subtleties of spirit.
There was a quiet, solace of almost silence, found in the setting of the cold when like colors of the trees, crowds too were fallen away. In the abandonment of the crowds, parks and paths became place and space they made as their own.
Then, in nights, they built their fires and rested together in their light. Kindling, they built its flame until heart of mounded coals glowed as tempered, focused blue; brighter flash and fire-dance in lap on split and grain as of new wood took to flame.
In the light, heat, and warmth, they held in rest—one to the other—drawn to the light and sign and flame of tempered blue-flame heart.
In peace, they rested, she before him, her back to his chest, his arms in wrap around as her own raised and curled to his. They held in their peace and rest, in closeness and intimacy that strengthened in feel and sense of each soft sigh and breathing swell that shifted bodies, holds, and sensings, warming in the cold in gaze on blue-flame heart and lap of the skin-dance flame.
In lap of fire light, opal paint changed bronze as he felt her change in hold. Paint darkened deeper olive, shadows in fire-cast of illuminations, her hold drawing, pressing firmer into her as breaths deepened and slowed, bodies and sense, awareness and knowing, expanding in hold and change, when polish flashed again, copper in breath of fire flare.
Olive and shadow returned as light of the fire muted. Sensing, there seemed only blue-heart flame.
A quiet and a still then soft in shift as she moved within his hold; over shoulder, the turn of her face for his, warmth of lips and gift in the blue-heart draw, her arms in wrap and rise, curling in stronger hold and wrap of his embrace; both knowing then the full of change. After kiss, her eyes as opal too, flashing sign and change of mood, told spirit hue, in eyes of green that flashed with bronze-flecked in glow of blue-heart focus.
Another change.
Mood stones became lode.
In new and changed embrace, they loved into the night. As candle burned low, blue heart flame remained, tempered and keeping on. Three times in the night, eyes and opal changed—bronze and golden flicker, warmed then cooled, in falling back to deep; change in hand and body hold; stronger, more tightly in the signing: flash then tremulous waiver in flare through skin-dance flame.