relief-soaked and syncopated,
we slide off our formalities
and scatter them in puddles
at our feet --

splattered across blanket-
strewn carpets,
we confer and confess
from our heads to our hearts
and connect
under poorly-painted ceilings.
the shallow walls eavesdrop
on our whispers,
but we pretend we do not
notice and giggle behind
our hands.

when we sigh our love
to the stars and our own
clasped fingers, i mean every
breath that drips from my lips
and i hope you do the same.
i am electric with you, here --
can you feel it?

we do not sleep (but we
come close); dawn strokes
our precipitating eyelashes.
in unison, we flutter. inhaling
the crawling fire, we do not
need to speak.
the words that could not
condense in my trachea are now
painted upon the horizon
and we look at each other
and smile and adore
the daybreak and each others'
quiet breath.

but with light comes life,
and we must flee as to not allow
the poisonous truth to seep
into our secrets.
alas, no tryst lasts forever.

inevitably, we must gather
our faces and our fear
from the entryway; we
apply them like mascara,
and tighten them like ties.
we resume our callous regime,
but my god,

i'll dream of you tonight.