Face to Face
by Kathabela Wilson and Michael Dylan Welch
First published in Kokako #25, September 2016, page 29. Originally written 19 August 2013 aboard the “Catalina Jet” ferry en route from Catalina Island to Long Beach, California. See also “Waiting for the Light.”
a touch of gold
in his green eyes
late afternoon Kathabela
he says his age
is in his brown eyebrows Michael
the soft pink
of her lipstick
he licks his lips Kathabela
turquoise kokopelli—
he hands her the earring
she thought she’d lost Michael
on the right side
his black eyelashes longer Kathabela
a puppy for her birthday—
the sudden white
of her smile Michael
