the absence of your soft presence
makes this home an empty cavern,
greys my heart

run run run over sweet-smell grass
smiles wave in your sunny wake
your beloved pack awaits

on this night, a home is full.
every heart present, every eye adores,
every hand secure, in peace

too quiet memory of your loving chaos
keeps me reeling beyond secret stars,
fills my veins with sugar sludge

waiting to hear, one way or another --
an empty frame, a frozen screen,
a blanket fallen from our bed

without your eyes on my small work
words live only in my fingers,
reflect only my heart

fatigue fair dates focus
and eyes long closed save
limited leaves for you

birds among stars, ask
to pass through these panes,
these endless rectangles

a historic library bursting
with the stories of the hordes
you leave behind