I am nowhere near the ocean, yet
salt water stains my cheeks and
it's only because I'm afraid to
know why you evaporated into the air
like the smoke that rolls over my lips as
they ache to be used for
memorizing the way the salt on
your skin tastes.

You were the red star the sky gave to me
after I begged for your voice to come back-
darker than the sun and further
away
A piece of the oldest part of my heart