It was astonishing to walk into room 233 at the Days Inn  /  the door open for us  /  to turn on the lights and to close the curtains  /  to see you first locked into that tan recliner as I sat on the (slightly darker) tan carpet  /  my back up against the coarse blue bedspread  /  to smell disinfectant and to drink bitter tea  /  to feel the minutes of our short afternoon slip away into nervousness and the prints on the off-white walls  /  then how you lay down on the bed  /  and I lay next to you  /  to kiss  /  no to talk  /  to get comfortable with each other again  /  we heard raised voices from somewhere / from the side or overhead  /  we couldn't figure out where  /  perhaps a meeting or ten TVs  /  screaming children or a gathering of boys to watch the football game  /  these were all possibilities as gradually the voices got so loud I called the front desk to complain  /  the desk clerk said the voices were coming from below something religious for sure  /  evangelists or a revival meeting  /  I told the clerk that I would call her back if we needed to move / then you asked me to turn off the hard lights and I did and lay back down next to you and then on top of you and I finally forgave myself for letting you wait at the train station  /  I remember you turned me over and how delirious I became at your touch and at a certain point I was overwhelmed with the desire to enter you and all the while beneath us they called on the Lord / they called for salvation  /  the desk called and out of breath I answered and said we were fine and did not want to move and it was true  /  the room had become as if lighted by candles and we lay on a sacred bier accompanied by hosannas and hallelujahs  /  and the chalice of your scent the icon of your face  /  the idols of your breasts in black lace  /  the staff of your finger in my ass and my cock in your cunt  /  our coming joined from below by shouts and applause and the exalted blessings of the possessed