December 1
Tragedy, romance
Poetry, absurdity
Early, late
Silly, important.
Unimaginative people
Define the markers of a spectrum
From this to that
Opposites barricading time and space
Separating one existence from another.
But they’re just the same.
Can’t you see?
Each one defines a truth
That you can only see
The duality of each
If you pay attention
Especially when it’s too late
To think clearly.
And your poetry seems absurd.
The most romantic thing you’ve ever done
Is brush your teeth while we’re on the phone
Because you don’t want to stop talking
And every minute matters
You’re so comfortable with me
That it’s like I’m lying in your bed
While you’re talking about your day
And you step into the bathroom
To brush your teeth
I say “Honey, I can’t hear you.”
So you poke your head back into the room
To repeat it.
Only now I can’t hear you
Because I’ve seen your face
And deafness comes over me
Because the flash of your smile
In my room
About to crawl into my bed
Reminds me how lucky I am
To have you for my own
And to listen to you brush your teeth…
It’s love.