i imagine you
soft, and NY hard
but i could never bring myself to
touch you that way
for fear of breaking
or dying from
some unspeakable, unrepeatable
ecstasy
you’ve always been
the wishing well i once found and
dropped all of my pennies into
like a vegas slot machine
but i never prayed for the right things
and when i left
i couldn’t find my way back
so i’ve been studying the art
of folding my hands
and knees
and heart
to offer up a paper plane prayer of
scribbled words i’ve just now
learned how to comprehend
let alone write down.
i’ve collected every esssence of lonely
and everything we said we
always stood for
and etched it into my skin
so you could see clearly
before we even get to speaking
and singing improvised hymns
from inked lines fresh on tattered pages
what i have to lay down for you.
and this time
all i ask is you forgive
the thoughts i might be studying
while you study me
it’s been so long since
i’ve touched someone with meaning
and it’s been longer still since
someone’s touched me
with words and the symmetry
of pure loving
