February & my love is in another state
By José Olivarez
so when i walk down the street, i hold hands
with the wind. there’s a chimney coughing
up ahead & a sky so honey, i could almost taste it.
a cat struts away from me & two yellow eyes
become four: just like that,
i’m the loneliest creature on this block.
soon the streetlights will come alive
& television sets will light up with blues.
stay with me. while the sky is still golden,
hold the ladder so i can climb, & from
the highest rung, i can scrape away a drizzle
of light to wear around my neck. alone
is the star i follow. in love & in solitude:
alone is the home with the warmest glow.
This poem appeared in the December 2019 issue of POETRY Magazine. José Olivarez is on Instagram and Twitter.
|
