the bitter silky stuff
runs down my throat

caresses the crevices
of my mouth

in a way that feels
both fleeting
and concrete

and i am almost certain
that is how it is to kiss

you

only you

perhaps

all of my previous embraces
have felt transitory
and unimportant
and clumsy

sometimes

i forget that there’s tea
that’s been left
brewing
and cooling
for the last twenty minutes

and yesterday

i saw them together
and almost shouted a greeting
but again
they were fleeting

one of my classes
once revolved
around the concept
of impermanence

it is the only lesson
that’s held importance

perhaps

because
he sat perpendicular
to the wall

and the pain
my neck felt from craning

evaporated

when i’d worried
it never would