you are longing, without desire.
but i do not let you go,
free into the vapor.
i don't want to.
because you are a relief:
the image of your eyes closed, your lips open -
is a reverence for a life
i covet.
it is not that
your voice makes me aware of each breath,
nor that suddenly,
everything i have been stammering has been defined.
it is not redemption.
it is just the safety,
absorption
into your bloodstream -
i blissfully feel
nothing.
