We're sitting on the steps
Outside the house that's lined by brick
I can feel the cold of the stone
And the heat of the night
I can feel the warmth of your skin
We're not talking, not holding hands
We don't dare exchange a glance
I can sense the space between us
And I know there are no words

Do you think this is all?
You ask
And I can see the smoke twirl in front of us
As if the moon were crying
As if the moon spilled a bit of winter onto us
To remind us to feel the stone beneath
To remember the time in between
The dirt and the mud

It comes to all of us the same
I tell you, even though I know no better
The warm air is made by both of us
The cold separates us because we need it to
The moon's tears are intended for us both
We both receive the same reminder
What we do with it is up to each of us

You grind your heel into the earth
I outstretch my leg and gently tap my toe
The clouds are out there, up there
Even though we cannot see them
The sun is out there, somewhere
The smoke is twirling and it comes from us
And it is intended for us both
I can feel the cold stone, even though
Your eyes are so strong
They burn into me,
But the honesty of the night has left me frail

I open my mouth to speak
No words come out, yet a chill runs through you
I am made to resist
To hesitate
Reaching out into the sky
Grasping for the wind, touching only the air
My thoughts reach you as a tickle,
A feather brushing lightly by your neck

It reaches us both
But we receive it differently
The night is crying to us both
But we sit on separate stones
The night is reaching to us
But we cannot reach each other
We are moments away
My breaths leave me blue
And reach you crimson
Inches after they depart

Written in 2003.