how could i
have been elsewhere?
with lovers engaged

in fisticuffs
and lockdown of naked
half-nelsons, with

clothes left
along the floor
like breadcrumbs
leading to feasts
filling, delicious
back then

beneath you & between
your legs our mirror
stares back, hungry

the breathless
braille my fingers
decipher from
knee to soft-
socked ankle

(right now i shouldn't
think about anyone
else, but like most
other things i do
and do wrongly,

i will)

show you
silence and strength,
remember the past's
feline tendency
to forget

afterwards we shared
a cigarette while you
spoke of nonsense
as i listened

and you mumbled
forgotten spells
that waved
the day gone

your fingers asleep
as a comb in my hair

my groin camped
against you

in wait.