Unlike You and Him
There seemed a time (if time can merely seem)
When we soared parallel, so did not touch,
The lack of touching sinful as a dream
(Though close the lack of touching hurt too much
And so I had to comment face to face
With little gifts of memory slicked with pain
And sleepless subtlety expressing grace
That spelled out Matthew). Air and room felt stain
But you were perfect in the way you dealt
With it, perfection forced from soul near soul.
We dared not move. It was as if a belt
Of asteroids split us to pole and pole.
So pole and pole would never meet but move
Apart, two cosmoses, pure each in groove.
~ Phillip Whidden