We lie inches apart,
faces turned from one another,
like two commas in the same sentence
that never connect.
Your back faces mine,
like a locked screen
close enough to touch,
impossible to enter.
Between our shoulders
sits a small, silent country,
made of everything
we don’t say.
We met like passengers
assigned to the same row
close enough to share armrests,
not a destination.
The walls utter gossip at night.
They watch new women pass,
different steps, new perfumes,
claiming corners they'll never own.
I've seen a penguin in a trench coat
Questioning the tide.
I've seen a pigeon on the couch
Licking chip salt from its wings.
Comments
This is really captivating! The similes and metaphors you use feel very original, and the line lengths make me feel the tension your poem describes. I have a really clear image in my head of two people, lying in bed, facing away from each other surrounded by silence.
Thank you so much, that means a lot to hear. I was really trying to capture that quiet tension between people who are physically close but emotionally far apart.
Log in or register to post comments.