She asks me,
isn’t he
everything you wanted
doesn’t he feel
like coming home?
I say,
Have you ever stayed awake so long
that your mind forgot to fall into a slumber
even when your body found its bed,
Have you ever been so hungry that your stomach
knotted into a ball,
Have you ever stood out in the cold
for so long
that your fingers burned like stab wounds when you finally found your way back to the warmth
I tell her, love
is just one more thing
that you can forget
how to fall into
how to digest,
I say, hearts
just like our bodies,
can acclimatize
to even the coldest extremes
And even they require some practice
at remembering
how to unthaw.
