Permanent

Behind the wall
I’m pressed by your deep desire for color
and your indifference for life.

Steam rises from the lines on your face.
Drawing out the love,
I once felt so deeply
inside this place.

I need you,
but from a distance.
I draw hope when you smile in my direction.
Fleeting quickly as the moon falls from the stars
and your hands clinch
to break my heart.

I tremble beneath the pressure,
making your silence feel permanent.
I’m left with a fractured spirit
and the pain of you on your knees.
I mourn this empty space,
and your battle cry
that once freed.

Now we sit,
my love.
You at my back,
and me
so painfully—
incomplete.