Little did I know,
When we painted the town red
With our love,
That it would stain:
The blood remains.

Cool air tickles my spine
And reminds me that the promises
Of beach days have faded,
Much like my golden tan.
The body of water across from me
Has no pulse like the ocean.
It lays flat like a sheet of glass,
And reflects the trees that surround it.
They’re in an awkward place right now.
The trees, that is, much like you and I.
Not green enough for summer,
Not gold enough for fall.
Just a strange in between
On the second day of October.
We are scattered between
Acorns and fallen leaves,
Our minds nestled between
The pages of our journals.

Would anyone really notice I was gone
If I spend a couple hours,
A couple years,
Sunk into a bed with you?
My big toe tickles the back of your calf
Early in the morning and
Your mouth counts the bumps on my spine.
I curve into you, convex from the world.
A breath of life fills my lungs again,
White roses
Squeeze their roots through my veins.
Your soul lives
In the bursts of laughter
That erupt from your chest.
You can find me there,
Too.

The vibration of your humming
Floats through the thick air being pumped
From the vents on the dashboard.
Outside, gray clouds have given way to
A sky that cries bulbous droplets of water.
I watch two of them race down the window,
Placing a silent bet on the winner.
My left hand slowly inches
The stereo volume up to 36
Despite your protests,
While my right hand is placed
Safely in yours.
Although it is mid January,
This is the warmest I have felt in my entire life.
Not because of my puffy green vest,
Or the coffee nestled snugly in my cup holder,
But because of the distracting sensation
Of you running your thumb across the
Piece of skin between my knuckle and my wrist.
I could live in this moment,
In this feeling of loving you,
Forever
If God, or the universe,
Or whoever is in control,
Would let me.

I wish I’d known
When I cupped your face
Between my hands
And kissed your lips
That I was holding everything
All at once
Your skull crumbles to dust
Slips through my fingers
The right words
When we said goodbye
I should have known
It wasn’t right
But maybe there is no right
Time for goodbyes
Well not for you and I
Because we are forever
To have and to hold
A heart shaped rock
Maybe just a heart of stone
Made the same
There’s no questioning it
The magnetic pull
The moon the current
I’m pulled to you by it
That natural force
It wants me to love you
I want me to love you
Don’t you?
In my very core
I know that you do but
Do you know you do
I mean when the sole of
Your shoe hits the floor
Of another girls room
And your soul hits her soul
Do they melt together like ours?
Watercolors on canvas
Your blue my red
A deep deep purple
Or collide and repel
Two springs in space
And speaking of Spring
That's how long it's been
Since we kissed
And I’ve searched for you
Green in his eyes
Scar on his chin
Cherry cough drops on his breath
As he breathes down my neck
Begging for love I can’t give
You have it
Forever wasn’t an impulse
It wasn’t a lie
When I lay down at night
I think of that
A curse or a gift
Who knows?
If not you and not I
Maybe we would
The we that was
Not the one that is
I don’t recognize you
That sharp stab of knowing
That hurts
Every muscle in my body aches
For you
I would do it all again
Now I know it.