Straddling me, you shake your hair, grin, and gaze down.
“What do you really want me to do?” you say.
I really want you to become a fortress.
I want you to be the wall against the hordes.
I want you to be an opaque integument and block the light.
I want you to envelop me, surround me, and smother me.
I want you to take me away or bring me home.
I want you to numb the pain or make me feel.
I want you to make it all go away.
“Where are you, right now?” you say.
As your voice quivers, I float back into place.
I settle down in my skin again.
I can hear you and eventually my eyes
Focus on your face and your lips.
I explain everything to you in detail,
But you can’t hear me, despite the screams.
You can’t hear me from the other side.
I will have to cross over—meet you half way.
I whisper, “Please don’t leave me.”
You promise to stay forever as I slip
Into orbit again watching this dance.
I see you lean over to kiss the tears
And brush my cheek. To my surprise,
My face seems to respond in gratitude.
It would seem my body remembers
What to do, and you understand it as well.
In the end, the two of you sustain me.
Great poem!