You said
love should feel natural
which was unfortunate
because nature itself
is mostly catastrophe
with good lighting
Outside
March kept dissolving
into ***** water
The city wore its exhaustion
openly
like men smoking alone
outside hospitals
We lived above a laundromat
all night
the machines turned
washing strangers
through cycles
of heat and surrender
You slept badly
Every dream
returned you damaged
Meanwhile
I developed the talent
of making coffee quietly
which should qualify
as a minor religion
One morning
you stood by the window
wearing my sweater
the large gray one
with holes near the wrists
You looked temporary
like jazz
or governments
or those bookstores
that survive three rent increases too long
Down below
someone screamed in Russian
with astonishing commitment
A taxi almost hit a cyclist
The cyclist hit the taxi
Spring continued
without moral instruction
You asked:
“Do you think people ruin each other?”
I wanted to answer carefully
instead I said:
“Only the honest ones.”
For a while
neither of us moved
The kettle trembled softly
on the stove
like an old actor
waiting backstage
to die correctly
May 2
May 2, 2026 at 10:23 AM UTC
You said
love should feel natural
which was unfortunate
because nature itself
is mostly catastrophe
with good lighting
Outside
March kept dissolving
into ***** water
The city wore its exhaustion
openly
like men smoking alone
outside hospitals
We lived above a laundromat
all night
the machines turned
washing strangers
through cycles
of heat and surrender
You slept badly
Every dream
returned you damaged
Meanwhile
I developed the talent
of making coffee quietly
which should qualify
as a minor religion
One morning
you stood by the window
wearing my sweater
the large gray one
with holes near the wrists
You looked temporary
like jazz
or governments
or those bookstores
that survive three rent increases too long
Down below
someone screamed in Russian
with astonishing commitment
A taxi almost hit a cyclist
The cyclist hit the taxi
Spring continued
without moral instruction
You asked:
“Do you think people ruin each other?”
I wanted to answer carefully
instead I said:
“Only the honest ones.”
For a while
neither of us moved
The kettle trembled softly
on the stove
like an old actor
waiting backstage
to die correctly
Love becomes most visible in laundromats, kitchens, insomnia, and poorly timed honesty.
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