Photo by Daria Gudoshnikova on Unsplash

First Night

The first night he lay on the other side of the bed, guarding himself with the blanket, and drifted off.
The summer window glowed through the screen of my tears.
I pulled my shoulders in and regretted our strangeness.
My mind connected them all like dots drawn together as if to suggest the shape of a man.
Under the cover of his dream, I slipped out.

He found me clearing away the remains of our evening.
He stood behind me, but my eyes were glued to whatever was not him.
When finally our eyes met it was across a vast abyss.
He took my hand. We kissed and kissed, to conquer our shame with our innocence.
Finally, we revealed ourselves to one another.