floating and leaving no trace
that weight on my shoulders
it is no feather
nor unbearable
i will carry us
carry you
carry me
through brambles
through flame
through disaster
i will be the disaster
so will you
we will not emerge
unscathed
but we will emerge
together
i would fit you in my pocket
if i could
but
you already fit in my heart
in that spot between my shoulder blades
where our wings emerge
——
when i was a kid i could buy
at the magic shop
or sometimes the drug store
magic smoke
dab between my thumb and forefinger
press together and spread apart
long strands would magically form
filaments
shiny waving gossamer
a gauzy arc between fingertips
a good trick
if you had dexterity enough
you made smoke appear from your hands
i found later
when i got into building models
that airplane glue
which smelled so good
and left me light-headed
did the same thing
the human soul stretches out
between us too
incredibly thin and almost
invisible but not quite
strongest when we are pressed together
thinner but still strong
still connecting
when we are apart
tell me something
you’ve never told
another person
something
you don’t want
anyone else to know
but don’t want me to repeat
but something you need me know
something that binds us together
one person
i’m looking out
through your eyes
when i wake up
i’m breathing
with your mouth
when i say your name
it’s your skin that i feel
when i touch you
your heart beating
in my chest
Words and Feathers 