His Fringe Jacket (1972)
He figured he was at least
half in love with her, most likely
the half usually labeled lust.
He was so in love with her
that he gave her his tan leather
jacket with the long fringe.
He wore that jacket everywhere,
even when the Ohio summer was
too hot and humid for leather.
He liked the way it made him feel,
the weight of it, the way he imagined
he looked wearing it at a rock concert.
So when he gave it to her, because
she told him how much she liked it,
it was like giving her a dozen roses and
a 2 pound box of Whitman chocolates.
She liked it so much that she
took it with her when she moved to
the West Coast with her boyfriend.
After she left he appeared diminished.
In Oregon she soon tired of the jacket,
which never really fit her right, and
gave it to someone she'd just met.
M.J. Arcangelini (b.1952) has resided in northern California since 1979. His work has been published in print magazines, online journals, (including The James White Review, Rusty Truck, The Ekphrastic Review, The Gasconade Review, As It Ought To Be) & over a dozen anthologies. The most recent of his five collections are: “What the Night Keeps,” (2019) Stubborn Mule Press and “A Quiet Ghost,” (2020) Luchador Press.
He figured he was at least
half in love with her, most likely
the half usually labeled lust.
He was so in love with her
that he gave her his tan leather
jacket with the long fringe.
He wore that jacket everywhere,
even when the Ohio summer was
too hot and humid for leather.
He liked the way it made him feel,
the weight of it, the way he imagined
he looked wearing it at a rock concert.
So when he gave it to her, because
she told him how much she liked it,
it was like giving her a dozen roses and
a 2 pound box of Whitman chocolates.
She liked it so much that she
took it with her when she moved to
the West Coast with her boyfriend.
After she left he appeared diminished.
In Oregon she soon tired of the jacket,
which never really fit her right, and
gave it to someone she'd just met.
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