Humiliation

I’m very sad to have missed you all because

the plane left too early. I feel so selfish

for missing you. You’d hardly even know it.

All night last night in my dreams

you were nipping the air for a good-bye and

curling your sour lips for the floor, and

I thought about how crowded

the airport must’ve been at 10AM, too.

But mostly I thought about your lips. The flight was

so early and your eyes must’ve been

so sunken and wide; so dark and plain and full

of blessings; so simple like kisses; so frightened

and sad and farewelling; I thought about you and

I watched your body and your hands in my mind.

I thought about your teeth. I thought about how

you might look in pictures. I thought about how

tired I was.

And maybe if I really cared about you

I could have woken up at 8AM to say good-bye…!