caress

i wanted you to hear my airplane 
in your bowl of soup. propeller propeller
stirring the sequence. how to be touched
like a licorice rope. jump over 
a ripe stone. our hearts: slimy oranges 
in their sweet rot. the field ready.
the meadow blooming with tiny spoons.
could we really have grazed on each other's
side roads? parking on long island.
the way streets refuse to link elbows.
roar of your race car in the tail-light lullaby.
tell me i'm soft. tell me i'm safe
from all edges. 
supermarket for fingers. open palm. spring of soot.
we walked almost hand in hand until we didn't.
lived icicle graveyards empty &
without mourners. you took the fish hook 
in your mouth. you asked me to pull you along.
tea kettle over eager. unboiled water.
chirping children. midnight illegal fireworks.
thumb in a jar of peanut butter. 
to be touched is to be 
obliterated or maybe i'm just american. 
picking up the pieces is 
my favorite part. oh look my clavical. oh yes
here is one wrist without the other.
"pairs" are a myth. there is always 
a oneness to come back to. when i read tarot 
i'm only looking for one answers
"it is okay." sometimes, when we sleep,
we come apart. lay facing each other
like parallel avenues. 
i am the tree that breaks all the rules. 
reaches an arm across the way.