He has been lying for a hundred years
and I have too,
only good on my back. The flower you never want to wilt –
placed in cement, eternally beautiful even if
you will never see her again. He
lied for us, I lay down
hoping he can drink nectar from two women at once,
I lie on him and he lies to keep me happy.

When he left
I thought a lot about a leaf I once saw, who sobbed
while it fluttered away from its
tree –

it begged for a soft landing,
a good home
with a good view
staring straight up the trunk he fell from
remembering how much greater things can be.

I fear
others falling asleep when I need their attention,
loving those who are not
conscious enough to accept it. When
he was all eyelids and we were not eyes to lips
my heart rate increased. It whispered a
secret to me,
so I could tell him.

So he would wake up and kiss me.

The weather tomorrow
will never reach above freezing
but my flannel sheets are still in the wash, still *****
because of you.

On Thursday, the temperature will be
fifty over freezing

and I won’t need you anymore I won’t have to miss
you anymore
you won’t have to hold my dress down in
the wind anymore. Nature

wants me
to pinprick my own goosebumps to death,

wants
to show me how fast things can get better or worse.

I have not even been able to
touch his ghost.

It is the morning after the morning after
and he has left cinnamon sticks beneath my pillows, I
inhale and exhale when I sleep
until all their dust has been swallowed –

dissolving into me
like water from wet linens onto skin, to be a naked
root love has taken everything from.

The sky has parted, giving a warm yolk
of light:

his first tear has fallen.

I see it like melting clouds and
baby blues
that ache to open

their ribbons of
earth lace
tying colors down to the sky, our last
seconds hot enough to

be condensation,
to rain.

Dew

saying he misses me. Of all the
compositions
of air
like syrup
being the blood in the heavens’ veins

it is milk buds
honeycups, butter becoming silk –
of all compositions of air

he is mourning mine.