Tension

Awkward dinner of new acquaintances,

multitudinous children surrounded us,

their delightful ways eliciting languid laughter.

We watched your son, then mine,

your daughter, then mine

place their flat palms solidly on the floor

to raise squatting bodies in ever greater feats

of upper body strength and personal fortitude.

This child’s contest done, you extended the challenge

and held yourself up an impressive length of time.

The children, having discovered distractions elsewhere,

only I was the admiring audience.

In the vibration of your straining forearms,

my own pulse quickened. I hardly knew you,

yet already bound by this bold tension.

(cc) Karen G. Johnston