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Familiar Strangers


Stirring in conversation
over a cup of coffee
he has a way of leaving
even while he is still there.

He smiles and nods in accommodating fashion
but the thousand-mile stare
says he is gone once again.

Then the rain falls between them
to her, suddenly, things don't seem so clear.

Confusion and hurt overwhelm her
Panic hardens around confidence
There is no strategy for departure
Only twisted ramblings of salvation.

Attempting to retrieve his heart
she awakens before the sun
to whisper in his ear.

Her eyes relay a truth that is too heavy
in stealth silence the emotional
has led the physical in disappearance.

Instantly broken a wholeness shattered into pieces
a tailor of the heart with steady hand is urgently needed.

She does not look for one
Nothing is beneath her now.

    -Tristan, 2013

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