I held you, furred shoulders and
speckled skin,
as you sweat beneath me,
such stillness unimaginable then.

I expect an end
to this fiction.
Soon
you will stand up
and take a bow, because someone
so stubborn
doesn't forfeit existance.

I have glimpsed in crowds
the blazing torch of you beard,
the wet crescents of your eyes-
I am on to you.

Directory assistance says
your number
has been disconnected,
but there are other ways
I haven't tried.


Melissa Williams