Math and grammar
In the after
math of differential
events
equations of beginning
past tense and present
structural sentiments
to keep the language breathing
thin letters, strung on thinner
phonic wires:
integrity
hope
and
(always and)
a sense of you
float the space
between before
and begun–
a risk
worth making
Instead
I wish I could say it was the
Christmas lights, but I’m not sure.
It could have been the songs.
The way you drove your car.
When I laughed into my mittens.
Just the stars in a winter night.
I wish I could say it was the
stars.
And yet I am half sure it was the
darkness – the unknown that stood
before and after the moment.
There we were: snow, snow, and us
in the dangerous part of town, the
way I wanted to lean in and say,
“Here we are.”
But I wasn’t sure enough whether
it was the songs, or just Christmas,
so I closed my eyes instead.