evening exhales,
and the walls stop holding their breath
the room forgets who it was trying to impress
big truths are shy
they rise slowly
like mist between the hills
a coat of shadow
rests over our shoulders
we’ve grown used to its weight
years soften at the edges
names fall away
stone gathers moss
without asking permission
you stand more firmly now,
the door no longer open to every wind
you learned to close it
and leave the light on
still
you’re the one
whose silence fits against mine
worn smooth
from being held so long
some nights
your laughter fills the bar
glass catching the light
when the noise thins
we step outside
carrying the warmth with us
later,
the town rests below the window,
dark against the hills
we sit
an old joke rises
river-stone smooth in the pocket
warm from being carried so long
outside,
the stars keep searching
for a story worth watching
let them look
i’m here
you’re here
the dark can do what it wants