you weren't ready yet. your ears could hear, but not your heart
I stepped out in the cold
A palate of white on white on white on white had buried the steps you left only hours ago to navigate back home
I should have asked you to stay warm in my bed and at arm’s length
But instead, you are crawling on 127 at 15 miles per hour
You should have called by now and my fears are wild with doubt, painted in plowed steps, cased from Holmes to Akers Hall while my breath does pirouettes
When you finally return my calls you are worn and exhausted, but safe and alone in your bed
Now the air is sharp and alive, and burns when it returns to my chest as thousands of tiny men parade through the sky like dancers, or ash
As I turn to go home I watch the snow reclaim every footstep bathed in the warm glow of half-choked street lamps like it never cared that we were here