I had often thought—
it's just enough
to be walking
shoulder to shoulder.
I didn't want to talk
about work, or go out—
I only wanted
to get where we were.
How I wished I could touch
your wrist
with just the tip
of one finger—
as if
the heat transfer initiated
would validate
the deeper reality of our situation.
How much work, I insisted
it would take
to explicate the pledge-
of-allegiance-way that I care;
I swear, to this day
sometimes I just sit here—
for half an hour,
maybe more,
tolerating
the acceptable feeling
of knowing you
are out there somewhere.
