Borders
In our quest for identity, we impose borders, rather than boundaries. What happens when feelings trespass those borders?
You had me at eye contact
Kind words & other trespasses
But you are uncomfortable in silences
In the no-man’s land of sighs & whispers
In sensations that carry no words, feelings that float
So you find your comfort in speed & speech
Make it quick, you tell me, this ‘we’ thing
Draw us a border
Or you-and-me might just stick
You’re really saying hug me
like it doesn’t matter
that it’s not a kiss instead
And what do you know, I do
Our futures plotted in terms & conditions
I sign off on our mutual definitions,
Friends.
We walk away seeking drama & glory
Hawking plastic sentiments
to anyone who will fall for our words
When we pass each other
in the economy class of stories
Nevertheless, we wave across our borders
Flashing airbrushed relationship statuses
In lieu of hellos
Because who needs to?
Occasionally, when we speak
Our remembering collides,
Our laughter & quips
Flake & chip on each other
We bleed byte-sided poetry
We are travelling merchants of words
With love however, we will still have no dealings
And now, packing trophy experiences
Boarding passes in hand, we wait,
Side-by-side at some airport
I hope that the call that comes for me will be yours too
All I ask is that you leave the door of possibility open
But maybe you won’t
No baggage, no labels
No messes, no fusses
We’ll be amiable fellow passengers
Cordial partners even
But there’s nothing in our contract that says we can’t hold hands.
