You Can Keep the Box

[couchgrouch]

You Can Keep the BoxHe met her in some rodeo bar near Phoenixshe had violet eyes and skin smoother than Venusshe knew better than to fall for a manwho'd take falls till the day he couldn't standbut there's something about cowboys who live on the windthat catches a girl's heart then slowly ropes it inso when he pulled a diamond ring, from a velvet case one Springshe just sat there in shockthen she whispered low and soft, "I'll never take it offso you can keep the box"he tried settling down in some square trailer homebut she'd reach for him at night and find herself alonehe was a horseback sailor on a sawdust seathose eight seconds of fear was when he felt most freethough it seemed strange to leave a man who's always goneshe couldn't fence his mustang heart so she moved onshe told him over the phone, they could split what they ownedand let time be all they losthe said, "you need the doublewide, give me some reins...let me ridebut you can keep the box"old love is a mist that lingers and lingersshe peered through that fog at the ring still on her fingerand he couldn't ride bulls like back when he was youngone rolled over on him and two ribs tore his lungsshe got his call and drove all night to his sidehe knew he wouldn't get thrown from his final ridehe kissed her face one last time, and said, "make sure I'm not confinedforever beneath the rocksjust scatter my ashes around, some old rodeo groundsand you can keep the box"(c)2004 Robert George