I am chasing summer’s hem.
Slept too long and opened my eyes to
a flash of a heel, flowers on cotton swirling
stray receipts nudged by a warm breath of air
husky laugh attenuating in the hall.
I have slept under these lukewarm waters for
hours and lifetimes
skin puckered
fighting to lift my eyelids
to another dream of weight and lethargy
fighting to reach the surface.
Sitting on the speaker stacks
watching you dance
pretending I am content
sitting on the couch watching
you kiss your lovers
smiling as if
this is all I want.
Sitting, always sitting
my ass my passport to
a land of safety and
plausible contentment
of deniable longing.
God grant me the dread
to flee from my inertia
give me the foolishness
not to know when I have reached apogee
give me the ache in my bones
the itch in my jaw
the fire under my toes.
I was so scared to be young once
That I grew old with the waiting
I grew weighty with my belonging.
But I am moving now
Lurching, skidding on sharp-pointed expectations
I remember what it was to run when I was 9
And the grass whispered “fly!”
I am chasing summer’s hem
But I will not catch her
I will run faster
laugh louder
and when I pass her
I will grin back
and shout
“faster”