Past the Landmark Towers,
somewhere on the long, troubled
arm of the highway that would take us
onto 95 South,
you finally broke all of my knuckles
with your small, perfect hands.

Or you at least tossed enough power
into the bones to make Vegas seem
really immature to even the most naïve admirer
of the artificial stars that give us so much costly hope.

Whatever it was,
I knew that my hands felt so beautifully heavy
and useless. I wanted you to keep finding small ways
to make sure I understand you’re getting close
to being at peace with the way you love me.

Close enough, at least.
You’re still making faces when I kiss you.
I’m still apologizing for every time I’ve made you cry.

We’ll get through it.
Dig on the way I really do believe that.
We’ll be fine eventually.
Manhattan on the coolest day of the summer is lovely.

Just keep laughing without actually making a sound.
Don’t stop missing me after three days of being three hours apart.
Try not to embarrass you quite so much.
Keep the desperation to tell you that you’re loved down to once a day.

I’ll even wait for you to grab my hand first.
We won’t try to talk around the rusty plane that flies overhead
to bring him to her, him away from him, and her to wherever
she has to go to find the person who turns everyday objects
into fireworks that look like an array of sloppy brushstrokes .

You know by now that you do that for me.
Don’t need to say it quite so damn much.

I guess I just want to try and distract you
with observations and small romantic gestures
for as long as I possibly can.

Five minutes,
three days,
who-the-fuck-knows-how-long,
I can be grateful for anything you can give me.

I can make you smile,
and even keep my body intact in the bargain.

I can do anything you want me to do.
I can even wait for you to kiss me so hard
that I stammer, notice how the universe
has decided to hide behind your eyes,
and fall backwards into the future.

Fall back,
Gloomy sidewalks suddenly turning into a frantically
expanding blue sky,
and wake up in one appealing possibility of many.

Find you sleeping calmly beside me.

05/27/2013

Posted on 05/27/2013
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