Cindy

Cindy waited like a masterless puppet 
in the corner of the couch, hanging 
on… Christmas tree on
her sweater, still

…staring at a painting of Paris, I made 
observations as simple as death–
and Cindy made a river, 
as muddy as youth, and as lonely

She looked up at me… with traveling eyes
said, I feel ocean wide, and nothing else.
Slow shards of helplessness punctured
the present, left the past… bleeding out  

we held hands and surrendered, listened...
the silences of our bodies
lapping up against each other
like waves, like waves