it's 2 am
you are laying
beside me
fast
asleep

when you are
near me
i can still hear
the passing storm
in your
heartbeat
feel the meadows
in your
smile

and darling
i don't think
i have ever
heard
something
so breathtaking

but i swear
sometimes
i
can still
feel
the loneliness
in your
touch
the screams
in your
kisses

they are
ambulance sirens
warning signs
tocsins
yelling
at me
to
evacuate
as quickly
as possible

and darling
i don't think
i have
ever
heard
something
so
frightening

i remember that night
we snuck into
the abandoned house
next door
with my father's liquor
and your mother's cigarettes
after we had too much
to drink
you took a drag
and finally spoke
"how cruel
is it
for someone
to leave
just like that
and never
come back"
it wasn't until morning
when i realized
you weren't
talking
about
the building