dreamscape awash in blue

we stood on the bus as the downpour flooded

in & in

& in

& in.

the windows wept, and for once we understood

something about their cold glass hearts. the way they

watched & listened. you clung to me like a stray cat

who had found its owner again, and for once i understood

the hunger of the animal. looking down at you and wanting to think

of nothing but the water. our clothes clung to our backs

like matted fur in the cold wash of the stoplights.

unforgiving. turning every person to ice. the winter came

and froze our hands over, so we forgot the shape of our own bodies.

we closed our mouths to keep our hearts warm. mother nature

wired her jaw shut. stopped telling us stories

of flowers & birthings & brightness. in the middle of the night

i awoke, and i pressed my fingers to your wrist to remember

we were alive, and the summer bled warm and sweet within.