floating minutes
i remember watching you make us teriyaki chicken breasts
and pots of chili too spicy for the average tongue
you’d put your entire finger in your mouth
so you could slide off your rings
my knuckles are your knuckles
i ran today through fields we've never seen together
and i could hear your voice telling me to “burn out” on the home stretch
the time we spend one on one is pretty effortless
even while hiking to the top tea house with jackets tied around our waists
my legs are your legs
the light here is different than the light at home
warm and thick bouncing off of Lela’s eyes
there are stars in your sky right now
and i wonder if you can see the prairies when Louie looks up at you
my pupils are your pupils
in the mornings we’d dance to Sonny and Cher
i can feel you grab my hand to guide me close
your ribs would expand with every smile
“i got you, babe”
my lungs are your lungs
you once hung a piece of petrified wood on the wall
because it reminded you of my foot
you’d found it on the beach near ‘singing woods'
and you nailed a tiny hole in the middle toe
my feet are your feet
it’s been 278 days since i last saw you
i can’t remember what you wore to the airport
we’ve been saying goodbyes for over 20 years
sometimes i still cry when the plane takes off
my tears are your tears
i know your love for me has changed your life
made you search for certainty and suspended your minutes
sometimes i cracked your bones and left you empty
i hope i filled you too
with love
and wonder
and awe
my heart is your heart
— n.nigro 2018