Not the 500S
We were on a bus
You were leaning your head on mine
I held your hand to my cheek
to my lips
like I did in your mom’s car
like I did in the bar
on the blanket in the park
It was so natural I didn’t notice I was doing it
until someone looked at us
I don’t know where we were going
but our stop was coming
I could tell by the way your eyes watched the screen
Still they always made their way back to me
You didn’t want to miss our stop
but you didn’t want to take your eyes off me
As usual, you were torn
As usual, I didn’t want this moment to end
What was I waiting for?
you to say
No let’s stay and ride it until the end
you to say
We’ll get off together when we’re ready
I was waiting for
what I was always waiting for
You to be ready
Yes
But what if in this dream
I said you don’t have to be ready
And you pressed my hand harder to your cheek
***
Inspired by a photo of your living room
In the forest there is a house
with a widows peak window
willow tree out back
On the kitchen table
there’s boxed wine and
a bag of pistachios
Two young faces on a couch
pinned to the fridge with a magnet
Inside the fridge there’s homemade tiramisu
made with Baileys
because that’s all you had on hand
There’s a photobook on the coffee table
with a few more photos
mostly sunset piers and skylines
and a couple of the two of us lying on the bed
There’s a sidewalk where the bed is supposed to be
but that’s only because you put it there in your dreamy state
I don’t get to see what happens in this house
But I see me hugging you twice before you go
I always did that
I don’t know why
thanks for letting me
If I see you here again
I’d kiss you twice and make you stay