Bricks

We are
Choosing pieces
Building a wall
Between ourselves and
Those who would seek
to harm us
And we build it like so:

Bottom course: The foundation

Your body beside me in the night
Your warmth your skin
Our oneness
Concentrated in the middle of the bed
The sides are lonely: we do not pull away
And when you stir, I stir
Hand on hip, comforting
My face nestled deep
in that soft crook of your shoulder
Your thigh thrown protectively
Across mine
Entwined, we breathe in unison
We laugh about it sometimes – how our
Bodies sync

Middle courses: The body

Our morning dance:
You outside for the paper
Laid so carefully on my armchair in
The spot you know I like to sit
In the mornings with a blanket
Me at the coffeepot
And your favorite cup
With the jot of water to cool it
Waiting for you as you pass by
I read the paper while
You rustle in the bathroom
And we meet up in the shower
Each taking our turn:
I turn on the water and
You collect the towels
And it is magic, our time here
And I am always floored
To see you naked and wet
Like an animated statue
Of some graven Roman god
With the tendrils of soapbubbles
Coursing down your chest
I wash
your back
you wash mine
You dry
my back
I dry yours
Savoring those moments
Of tactile care

Top course: The capstones

You scrape the windows
I fold the laundry
You shovel the walk
I iron your shirts
You grill the steaks
I make the side dishes
You run the shovel
I push the wheelbarrow
Seesaw
We are in balance.

The Keystone

We have come a long way, you and I
Walked on the coals of our lives
Our other lives
Belonging to those other people
We are not who we were anymore
And bruised and broken
Hopeless
We found each other
And like two tiny vines
We twine round and round
Indistinguishable
unextinguishable
Until together we reach the sun.