ozone

ballsy guys will say darn near anything
to darn near anyone.
ballsy guys get a lot of
action in the bedroom.
ballsy guys are
dream-tickets to the
bridges of passion, heart-breakers
from way-back, used
to disappointing folks,
accustomed to the sweet
smell of success. sometimes,
a ballsy guy and a mousey
guy will get together, and be best friends.
a ballsy guy and a mousey guy together,
the ballsy guy plows right on ahead,
and the mousey guy gets to follow along,
share in the spoils of innumerable
victories. there's little conflict;
there's never any doubt who's
in charge. the ballsy guy
asserts; the mousey guy
hangs around for laughs.
when life throws a mean twist,
though, the ballsy guy
and the mousey guy have
been known to get a little
too comfortable together,
in their efforts to comfort
one another. they always
stop short of having sex
with each other, though.
almost always, anyway.
a rainy night a few weeks after
a death in the family, the
aura of gloom is palpable,
life seems senseless,
and the ballsy guy and
the mousey guy are
sharing their secrets;
lightning flashes
and, well, things happen,
there on the couch
in the half-light
of love.

--Carl Miller Daniels (This poem also appears in my book Gorilla Architecture, published by Interior Noise Press in 2011. "ozone" was first published in [sic] magazine, back in June of 2008.)