You’ll

be

gone

like

winter

that

strips

fall

of

its

vibrance

your

iciness

coats

limbs

of

my

heart

coating

loves

deep

pond

in ice

colder

than

cold

time

slows

life

pacing

nervously

waiting

for

that

final

kiss

embrace

shoulder

grab

car

door

tailight

on

the

twenty

ninth

Like

limbs

outstretched

light

radiates

from

fingertips

as he

reaches

beyond

his

eyes

focus on

point

smiling

amidst

anguish

feet

spring

form

to

air

lifted

an

ungrounded

balloon

levitating

he

is

wind

silent

yet

moving

Words

flew

past

parrots

squawking

clouds

gathered

on

horizons

storms

erupted

shadowing

happiness

sun and

moon

disappeared

behind

curtained

clouds

traveling

emotions

flew

home

apart

at

once

clouds

cleared

happiness

traveled

home

And

there

we are

beneath

cotton and

comforter

lazily

lounging

curled

closely

when

you

begin

to

plant

soft

sweet

rabbit kisses

in my

beard

delicate and

demur

light and

languid

you

nuzzle

nightly

my

neck

these

rabbit kisses

nudge

and

gnaw

at my

chin

and

cheek

they

tickle

and

taunt

tease

and

tantalize

as we

lay

curled

in

our

private

little

burrow

Midnight

obstacles

buttons

and

cotton

snaps

and

wool

fingers

unhooking

hands

blurring

passion

it

was

the

hustle

and

bustle

of

intimacy

finally

in

twilight

and the

moons

silence

we

reflected

beneath

flannel

front

to

back

did

we

know

time

tics

and

tocks

to

heartbeats

initially

rapid

now

still