Black Princess

She stepped outside and took a seat on the posh sofa, the sweet smell of ganja infilterating the air as the moon radiated in its allegoric glory.

It shone red tonight.

Inside the bar, earnest, mellow reggae played as people danced. She pulled out a cigarette, attempting to light it in defiant determination against the wind. As she did so, a beautiful man stood next to her, watching intently at her effort with a sympathetic, almost condescending smile on his face...she couldn't tell if he was high, or simply fascinated.

The cigarette finally lit, and she took a long, much awaited drag, leaning against the wall. The beautiful man, still watching, drew in an involuntary gasp with an expression she could not decipher.

"What is it?" she asked, guarded but not hostile.

"Nothing...its just that as you were lighting that, the flame looked like a tear rolling down your face, like you were sad."

He gently touched her cheek with the back of a finger and kissed it, all the while looking straight at her. Remembering his friends, he gave her a smile and went back inside.

She took another drag and looked up at the big red moon, wondering to herself how he could have ever known.

Word on the title: "Black Princess" is a song by Jamaican reggae artist Jah Mason, who played recently in Sydney.