From here, your planet
Looks like just a a light
Poking out through holes made
By a child, jabbing a pencil top
Over a rag.
I wonder if Earth looks the same
From where you are.
I mean, it must, right?
Surely you, fellow traveler,
Can see the iridescent blue
That is our planet?
Perhaps you can.
Perhaps you’re far more advanced
Than we can imagine.
Maybe you’ve traveled the stars,
Maybe you’v...
As your car
Makes its way
Out of the driveway
(The roof
Saddled with overstuffed
Bags, the wheels
Barely visible beneath the
Frame),
Taking with it
Years of
Pain,
False promises,
False smiles,
And the
“I love you”s
You said
But never meant,
Am I
After all this
Time, supposed
To pretend
This is sad?
I hear the
Muffler of your
Car (the one
We rode together in
To countless movie dates,
Restau...
Over the noise
Of the industrial
Hiss of the cappuccino machine,
The smells of autumn
Wafting in through the kitchen in the back,
I hear my name called.
My usual order,
Ready.
Nothing too fancy.
Caramel latte.
Skim milk.
No whipped.
(Doctor’s orders).
Three minutes slower today, I noticed.
I don’t have time for this.
I’m supposed to be in the car,
On my way to the office.
Looking to see...
She
Charges forward
Undaunted.
Fearless.
A thing of nature.
Her gaze might be considered cold, by some.
But her heart
Belongs to the people
Under her care.
You’ve heard her tell
The best jokes you’ve ever heard
Especially on days when you need a pick-me-up.
She always values your opinion,
Offering her advice in return.
Her eyes are wizened,
Marked by time,
Marked by victories and tra...
I held you in my arms,
Cradling your body.
You didn’t move.
I couldn’t feel a breath.
Should I call for a paramedic?
All of a sudden
I felt the weight of the world
Crashing down on my shoulders.
Compressing me into some shape
That’s not been discovered
Or defined
Some boneless creature
Lying in a gelatinous pool on the floor.
My fingers brush through your hair
And all I can think to do
Is t...