there are no words left in my lungs
no words to teach or shout
no words to defend myself
i exhaled them one by one
i used them up, in my younger days
before i cared to learn from others
when i was more interested in noise
than silence
but i have infinite words in my hands
and hands are as much for loving
as they are for learning
so i will learn you
and love you
with these hands of mine
there are times in life
when saying nothing at all
is the best defense
my head on your lap
while you hum me a sweet song
slow the day, my love
the patterns in your ceiling texture wake me
with tales of the coming morning light
the air is still
but we are elevated
cloud-like over the world
all that is before us
and all that is behind
suspends us here
high above the fall
and every step is forward
leading away from ancient evils
we will take five stones
one for each of my hands
one for each color you see
the best of all that was
we will hold them carefully
where your heart ends
and mine begins
until the time is right
when we’ll release them
knowing gravity will do its work
only forward
only away
falling will be their freedom
but if our intentions were pure
they will soar
and they will be more
than we could have planned
you and i
we have no plan
only each other
and the few days that remain
so walk the rope with me
enter the dream
around the edges
where the water is free
into the questions
of what should be
glide the postcard
perfect scenery
across the diner table
with that smile
you save for the open fields
hum a tune
from the old boys
we’ll pay with Cash
in the middle of June
when the heat
sticks us to the seat
spin me around
without fear or regret
tell the world
i’m your man
even when they reject me
for slander over truth
and when all else fails
kneel with me
in the garden’s morning moments
reach into the earth
feel its life on your skin
remember where we began
know where we will end
the shallow indentation
on the pillow opposite mine
holds its position
like a clue to our mystery
makes me realize
someone not there
creates something that is
emptiness
but the space you once occupied
is my preference
over the space you have not
just like objects you once touched
are my choice
over objects you have not
to be near a thing
you were once near
feels closer
than apart