Retained

Wordlessly, we had closed our distance 
and had each placed our hands on the other,
holding each other tenderly.
She had smelled like strawberries and vanilla — 
strawberry shampoo and vanilla perfume. 
In the faint dimness of the waxing 
twilight, the light blue of her dress 
had looked almost white. The frills and ruffles 
of her dress made a Cinderella 
out of the delicate brunette. 
Even with her lace-up heels, 
she would have had to lift her head 
to meet my gaze with her hazel eyes. 
But she had kept her head down, as if
too shy to show me her blushing face.
Her bated breath had caressed my neck 
while we danced on the deck of that ship.