amper&and (& other stories)

amper&and (& other stories)

i. (ampersand)

i love you like an ampersand

however short

the coming to be

of you and me

as you&me&you&me

this curving over & into

becoming both of us

& something new as one

and per se and

as well as how each of us

intertwines the other

like the beach against the shore

& sand between your toes

or saltwater coursing our veins

i love you like an ampersand

et cetera

ii. (the snake of you)

if i could i would

draw all the invisible songs

you have sown into my sinew & soul

starting below your ear

& down your neck

& over your shoulder

& across your back

& around your side

to your stomach

so everyone would know forever

the dancing of my heart

coiled & intertwined

with the snake of you

iii. (swimming)

once we shared a pool

you & i

in a town & hotel where neither lived

a point between us

this water joining us impromptu

like the life we never allowed

& now here i am earthbound

treading water alone

not the stroke i wanted to swim

or emptiness i sought

this pool these beds those hotel rooms

& beaches warm & cool

we cannot undo & cannot forget

floating atop memory

no one is faithful & of course

everyone is