i fell onto the pavement and cracked my skull
you were there, you watched me fold
in on myself as the stars streamed down
through the clouds
making zig zags across my eyes
i felt so high
when your palm clasped mine



and when it slipped you
grappled, caught the air
and i sank
and you regressed
back to the upside down image
sailing along my retina
you disappeared

blindness caught me
cradled me in arms so strong that i
did not miss looking into the sun
with you
trying to find our faces beneath the brightness
of a streetlamp that was always
flickering
in and out of consciousness

your whisper wove through the darkness
"wake up, love,
the headlights are on"
and i grappled my way back to you
layer by layer of the ash, our wrongs

and the stars exploded back into space
as i found your face in the glare and
whispered back, "i cheated with the abyss"
and you said that was okay because you
cheated with a cigarette

the streetlamps flickered feebly
as you looked at me, right side up
and i realized this was all that i missed,
and it was enough,

tonight.