Parnell and Magdalena

a poem by Jan Oskar Hansen

Parnell, my friend the middle aged gay actor,
sat by the swimming pool
tried to keep his stomach in doing breathing exercises,
he had fallen in love again,
this time for keeps.
Invited me for lunch,
where his new boyfriend worked as a waiter.
A beautiful young man,
gym fit, tanned, flashing teeth and big rings.
Didn’t like him though
there was a shadow in his smile
and cunning in his eyes;
beside I had seen him before he frequented the club
where my girlfriend sings
she’s fragrant woman
very feminine and tends to wear dramatic frocks;
Parnell adores her.
Never saw Parnell for a year
but when I did
he told me a long story about lust, dastardly deeds and betrayal,
a tale I didn’t want to hear.
Now sad, broke
he had no new engagements
and Pedro, the waiter, had left him.
Magdalena, my girlfriend and part time gay icon,
fixed him up with barman’s job at the club.
I’m getting wary though,
they get on so well
that I often wonder if he’s really gay?