MATCHES

Very dark when I step
On the street
But then he shows up
The one who plays with matches
In my dreams

I have never seen
His face his eyes

Why do I always
Have to be so slow
And the matches already
Down to his fingertips

If it's a house
Time only for a glimpse
If a woman-
Just a single kiss
Before the shadows converge

I could be dining 
Making a snowball
Having my teeth pulled 
By the Pope in Rome
Or running naked
Over a battlefield

The one with matches 
Knows and won't say
He likes only abandoned games
Illegible cities
Great loves that go out
In a puff

Charles Simic