from the last time you touched me.
examine it with my fingertips
turned salty by the change
of place.
thick moss underfoot, on the stone wall
leading to an ocean. it's dark out there.
one slip & i would be dead; for all my
careful footing & concentration, a
wound to the head!
this seems familiar.
drag a dancer's toe across the water
which catches the varying thickness of light.
sand slicked smooth by the beat of the tide
& i listen to the sound of those waves
i listen to you inhale, taking stroke
after clumsy
stroke.
the dead sky has swallowed all to the east,
excepting small lights that litter the cliffs.
with you below me, thrashing in the water
i can disregard you, forget you,
remove my thoughts from you.
i carry your shoes to the car
self-conscious, i look to the ground
you mistake it for something else.
roll the window down,
turn off the blues
((i don't feel that sad tonight))
i shake the sand out of my pockets
& forget
the imprint you left
on me.