Step Close Poem by Mona Adviento

Next to you, And apart
I shudder violently against the chill
That creeps from the earth into my nostrils,
Paralyzing my lips.

I have no words to throw at you
They have died at the sight of you
With your soulful eyes.
I am helplessly, Hopelessly transfixed

I strive for perfection
In this ruse of docility
In this trial of domesticity
In this induction to maturity?

I struggle to suppress
The dragon in my lungs
The vampire in my blood
The knife edge in my tongue.

Where does this all lead?
Sitting on a sidewalk
I find coffee and Neruda
Back in my lap.

I watch you in slumber.
In total abandon, your senses leave you
And you leave me too, momentarily
To watch at a distance in suspended animation

How much can I take
Of rainy nights, of 3 minute calls
Til my collectedness leaves me
Til your distance taxes me?


Finally, I remember that chasm
between us, spanning a lifetime
in a matter of moon cycles.
We bridged it in a heartbeat.

Welcome to forever.