glad you’ve held up
dry and
well,

pleased you’re a flower
elsewhere,

we dreamed escapes
together,

though never found
the time
,

blaming less than perfect
weather
.

no, i will not miss it,
though i’ll crave replacements,

do you still study
stars

through the roof of
your rustproof
civic?

or are you racing home
to meet curfew?

are his eyes still
blue?

said i’d never
miss it

but i
do.

a pumpkin
smile,

gent tilts his
head,

as if his turn
in game,

on chipped tooth bench,
lunch clasped
in palm,

cloaked in
trees,

shaded by
leaves,

knows not where
he’s from

or how he’s come
to be..

so infant-eyed
and free.

bonfire of dead
letters

unearthed and
torched

sending specters to
their slumber,

we
breathless
blowing embers
,

may dawn reach us
where we
shiver,

eyes shaded out
by smoke.