Imperial

With deft caress, we talk with peppermint breath
We cuddle and we stretch
Every weekend and matinée, save for father's day

When you close your eyes and rest your head on my head
You clutch yourself anywhere
Every timid vowel will break as we break bread

You've cut your teeth while I've been growing my hair
We share the rooms we share
With shifting muscle and cards from Union Square

My feet might sink into the soil and bay
But we still make our way
Through morning coffee and days and weather days

We commute in a soft embrace
On the days when you are feeling better
And we can ride on the eastern lines
On the days when you are feeling sad

We'll settle on the hill with books and bills
Unbuckling your mother's coop
With sails and rope, with hope imperial

I threw myself across the bridges and bays
In promise and in praise
In sudden clarity, face to fuller face

I dreamt you fell into the bubbly waves
And when I woke, I lay
In ribbons, cotton, and yards of paper cheese (?)

But we commute in a soft embrace
On the days when you are feeling better
And we can ride on the eastern lines
On the days when you are feeling sad

We'll settle on the hill with books and bills
Unbuckling your mother's coop
With sails and rope, with hope imperial