“There was an exquisite sadness” by Oksanna Crawley

there was an exquisite sadness in his eyes

his beauty made you ache

I sat across from him, longing to possess him and his beauty

            I lifted my cup to my lips, never taking my eyes away

I had fallen in love with that face the first time I saw it

a Viking warrior from a time long ago

wide cheekbones and a jaw that seemed to be cut from some ancient stone

and yet           the eyes betrayed a gentleness

I wanted to reach out              and touch his still mouth    with my fingertips

anticipating the electric sensations

would he let me     would he turn away     or would he simply close his eyes

I wanted to ask him what pain he hid

behind those eyes

the colour of an autumn sea before a storm.

Oksanna Crawley is a soon-to-be-retired teacher. She has taken a bouquet of inspiring writing courses and workshops with Brian Henry and hopes to pursue writing and art in the Golden Years. Oksanna's self-published children's book, So you be Keon and I’ll be Mahovlich about Toronto Maple Leafs legend Bill Barilko, was listed as one of the best in 2010 by the Ontario School Libraries Association.

See Brian Henry's schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Orillia, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.