We were caught in a blue madness.
I wanted to be your shadow
and you wanted to be mine. Nowadays
you sit on the couch, holding
my feet in your hands and cry
only at another movie character death. I flick
the TV on and off the way we used to
gather ice in our mouths
to see who could become the numbest.
How cold was it before we came back
together? Remember when we ran
into each other at the art gallery
where a man danced in a long purple gown?
The first time after things ended. Looking
at each other from across the room
was like looking at clouds. We each felt
we could imagine any shape
for the other, knowing it didn’t matter—
if we got too close it would fall apart. We stayed
as long as we could, apart, remembering
the lemon-price of love: the soured out
faces the soul makes when biting down
again and again on the same problem. Our eyes
circling each other like dogs in the park.
When we finally spoke, we both admitted:
i miss you. And we stood in silence
wishing missing was enough.