When I saw Beauty, I tried to take her in.
I approached slowly, carefully,
so as to not scare her off.
She didn’t seem frightened at all
so I decided to make contact
but my dumb tongue became numb.
No words escaped my stupid lips.

I attempted a friendly gesture to Beauty
but my farcical fingers twisted into shapes
obscene and ridiculous,
making her look concerned and sympathetic
but mostly confused.

I tried to smile
to show I meant no harm,
but I’m pretty certain I licked chapped lips
which could have given some some mixed message
or other
and I believe a smell began to arise from me
that simply should not arise from a mature adult
past adolescence.

I am not under the impression
that Beauty is struck by me
the way that I was struck by her.
I suspect, rather,
that if I’m ever to be struck by Beauty again
it will be with a two by four.