We skinned our knees-
Tore right through the denim and thread
Donated little dots of blood to the stony ground
Like droplets of crimson from television tubes
I flinched when you fell and wished we could trade
Positions until I washed up alongside you
Out of breath and taken by a solid
Faces down, forming right angles with the passersby
We gripped hands and exhaled while every other worry
Was replaced by our shared trauma
We exchanged rips with shreds and learned without
Of our shape and structure within

---

Several times the gap widened far enough apart
Between us to fool our eyes with blurry shapes
And the rising threads of heat
Squinting, I could barely make out your face
The separation brought on images of
Candles hovering without ever mixing
Their hot wax with the paper thin floor that
Separated my subconscious from my desire
Sometimes I'd try to read the floor
When there weren't words I felt around for braille
But the only dots I ever felt were red and smearing
Swirling around, eyes closed, I'd paint your face

---

My nerve endings entwined into a rope
Long enough to reach you
Only now are we closer than before the gap
And gravity showed us the meaning of distance