He smoothes my hands between his-
“Tension,”
He smiles
It is pity and brotherhood
Coursing through him
The energy that moves into me
I relax
Bristling with an unknown element
Being cared for so delicately
With no undertone
I’m refreshed
Whole
Light
I wonder what it cost him
To heal me
If my illness sagged against his chi
As I smashed him into a hug
If he felt the sisterhood and respect
Coursing out of me

Mar the shoreline
A thousand year’s glass
Heals your path
Because the sea

I almost flip out
Of the wheelchair
As soon as the front wheels hit the sand
We don’t make it to the shoreline

All around me are mounds
Muffled muddled steps
A mirror of today’s ocean

You squeeze my shoulder
I say let’s go home

Because the sea
Because the sea

He settles into the rhythm of her washing dishes
Silence blooms
He holds her overused hands
running fingers across his palm
Soft as butter
Empty as the refrigerator
An overlap of ghosts
Routine of the day
The cat stretches further
Than we can
Rubberband snaps
His habit of remembering
She’s sitting next
Standing next
Moving through him
A river who has found the sea

Glass dancing
Buttered and slipping feet
Measured before the test snaps
Time!
He failed
She weaves waves of tangents
And tangerines
For snacks
Emotions rise and fall
He remains flat
All insides trembling glass
frequency hummed
He grimaces
smoothes out a hand
For her to grasp
Refusing to close upon her hand
He’s afraid
Of breaking her
When it’s exactly
What both need to heal

You’ve escaped
Is all she can say
Key to throat in hand
Say something
No
say you love me

You are locked out of yourself
Like a virus
Infection of sunshine
Once manic in authorship
Silvers in mercury kisses

Your fingers tipped black
Trip dance stories
In memories you’ve never held
Will never hold
If you don’t start kissing back