Hope is two-faced
How she keeps us going
but also stuck
in the same place, all at once
waiting for something
that could be nothing
after all

Three gin martinis
He asked me my fetishes
Over 'fore it started

In a parallel world
where clouds lived in the sea
and whales traversed the sky
perhaps you and I'd be 'we'

I wonder when
I stopped being
your favorite

Arizona sunsets
all encompassing hugs
a stranger's compliment
a familiar, once-lost song
fleetingly transport
to a time before
before yearning, before loss
Moments that quench my thirst
and remind me
I'm right where I belong

If only they added up
and made up for
the seemingly missing -
a pair of lips pressed against mine
someone to share the mundane
For now I embrace this
Hopper-esque combination
of peace and melancholy
nostalgia and (be)longing
hoping these little joys
will be more than enough

I can't put my finger on this feeling
Is it mine alone
or is it a part of life
like the sun's extended escape?
Will it pass with the clouds
in a few days
or has the climate permanently changed?
And how do I accept the latter, learn
to revel in the freedom
embrace my body pillow, and rise
with a smile on my face
knowing that choices
are endless and all mine
without wondering about how
the grass may be greener in pairs?

A single earring
maybe a sock
a smidge of pride
perhaps for the best
Lo que pasó
lost
dispensable
so we thought