Caller ID

I see your name
before I hear your voice
and there's just a moment
where I feel the breath
catch -
my throat muscles tense.

My palms feel damp
with the humidity
of possibility.

I say hello
and instantly
my body relaxes.

My soul sighs
as if your call
was all it needed
to survive
another day.

Nightly Routine

The cool air of night
blows in through my window
as the white noise
hum of the fan
drowns out the night noises
and my mind.

Sleep drifts in
to curl
its long fingertips
around me
with a grip
that tells me
I am safe
until morning
and I cannot stop
my body
from relaxing.

I sink into my six pillows
and feel my day
slip away into blackness.

Yet still I think of you.

Your face permeates
my fading thoughts
and I wonder
what you're up to,
if you're still awake
or if sleep has found you, too.

My eyelids collapse -
the traitors -
and I can resist
slumber no more.

These thoughts
and you
will be there
in the morning.

Blackberry Picking

The sweet scent of overripe blackberries
hangs in the air like Spanish moss
on the Live Oak trees back home
and I want to pluck
them from their slumber
on the vines that assault
every random space their tendrils
can reach.

Blackberry pie sounds delightful
and I know you'd like it too.

How easy it is to do the things
you always wanted me to do
now that you're not here.