The Other Body

catching sight of you

while I dressed

this might have been a moment

when I’d have said,

“you’ve seen better days”

each glimpse of you

over time

sparking the same

sullen commentary

sometimes spoken aloud.

each dismissal

another cement block in this

barrier between us

until we are strangers

connected only by this wall

made of cold concrete

criticisms

and nothing more

but I cannot live

without arms to hold me

and legs to carry me

without flesh

to house

this heated spirit

this holy heart

I cannot live without you

I know this now

that we’ve reached midlife together

when our days end

we will be married even then

bone to dust

disappearing into the earth

naked as we began