Tracing the Landscape

I.

One eye must be closed.
Until you are half blind
you cannot see that
the sky is gray
and the train moves
too quickly
to sketch.

II.

Your body will become a tool.
A hip pressed tight against the radiator
a lip curled to close an eye
left hand with pen
right circled around a ring
to keep balance.

III.

Shifting weight means shift in perspective.
Shifting perspective means that pedestal
next to platform
is now inside platform.
Shifting weight means stalling to say goodbye
and repeating footwork to the samba
while attempting to

IV.
keep the eye steady
on the invisible dot
that means the horizon.
Otherwise
the white cement steps won't
line up with the
cream concrete pillars
and 'next week' will feel like

V.
there will be chaos.
Straight lines never came from freehand
drawings
and love never came
from rules.

Sally Bowles

Let's dance until
the rain washes away
our footprints
and the mud is too thick
to step

Let's drive west
until the road stops
and gravel begins
open the roof
say hello to the sky

Let's gather all the stars
we can find
and hold them in our hands
until they glow
white hot
and we let them drop
like marbles

And then let's jump
into the lake
holding hands
until we hit the bottom

Let's do all this
then come home to my quilt
sleep in a mess of blankets so
when I wake up
and you're gone
it's harder to tell

untitled

I am waiting for you
to say I love you
into the phone one more time
quiet
so white noise almost catches it and
carries it to static
before I hear

Waiting for you
to pull me to your chest
and let me lay against
your heartbeat
our skin bare
and warm
and slathed in
slotted sunlight from your window

I am waiting for you to leave me
with the clouds
the songs and the crumbs we've let
fall behind us
so you can come back
find me in a thicket of spindly
branched trees
cold grass in a park
thick sheets

wrapped in your arms
listening to your heart
beat