Nighttime spills over the horizon
staining the land with shadows
its blackness deep and unyielding
but soon arrives a tide of constellations
glistening with the brilliance
of stars unnumbered
they wash over the Earth
bathing all in soft starlight and
cleansing the darkness

She faces the wall, studies
those tiles with minute precision, hand
outstretched on the towel rack, a bathroom
ballet dancer, poised, still, silently waiting
waiting, waiting.

Lids so heavy, slow now to blink,
suffocating breath with light caught,
suffocating speech with the skin
pulled taut.

Is it safe yet to face
that most sibilant refraction,
why do these fingers clench tighter
the more I try to let go.

if we're blue right
it out in a left
handed jaundice
sky a golden sky sky
key yellow way

like we're creeping
banana wallpaper pealing
off heaven in claps
of thunder clawed
off  beneath tiny
media sausage paws
of a black & white Terrier
we've dressed

in unnatural
sarcasm difficult to rightly
see in the tall indigo
grass we're

green again if mixing
blades with lowly plain Asian
tone is a thing

America is so big, large to the point of immense
my small island perimeter mind cant take in that much
I would be lost out there, way out west
overawed, eyes spinning in their sockets, a kid in a candy store, given too many choices.

You're not here, but I see you.
You're not here, but I feel you.
You're not here, but I breathe you.
I smell you in the spring flowers on the side of the road.
When walking down the street
I see you in my dreams,
H a u n t i n g me.
I need you, but you're not here.
I'm just hoping & wishing that you breathe me too.