Do I linger?

Do I linger?

Tarry awhile

Wait for the wind to change

The day to catch up.

For you to raise a finger

To your mouth,

Point to me

And whisper I love you.

Do I look for that smile

The twinkle in your eye

The look on your face

When we meet,

The taste of you

When we kiss,

Even in the street

And I am flushed,

More with excitement

Than embarrassment.

Can I see you

If I sit here

Outside a coffee shop,

Will you pass this way

If I wait

Long enough.

How can I find

A place where the

Thought of you

Is only a smile

A midsummer daydream,

The scratch of a pen on paper,

A warming glow

And pleasing accompaniment

To any sojourn.

Not an open wound

That bleeds into the paving

Through the soles of my shoes,

Scouring my bruised soul

Of any freedom.

Such torment

Stays carefully hidden

Behind a veil of lies

Well practiced.

Every phrase rehearsed

And delivered in verse

With averted eyes

And just the briefest contact

When courtesy warrants.

How will I know

It is time to go,

A creeping paralysis

Has diminished my power

Of independent movement.

I see you everywhere

But nowhere

Holds you for more

Than the time it takes

To blink.

What will people think

If my tears fall

Onto the table,

Spill into the cup

And when I look up,

If you were ever there at all

I find you have gone.