There is a floor lamp

in the living room –

been in the same spot for months.

But the other night

when I saw it out of the corner of my eye

I thought you were standing there.

How many emotions can

run through a soul

in less than a second –

less than a breath?

First, I jumped at the unexpectedness.

Then I hoped it to be true.

Finally, disappointment settled into my bones

when I realized

it was just a lamp.

If it happened once,

I’d blame it on my eyesight

and over-indulgent imagination.

But it happened 3 times in one night.

Perhaps you were there.

Perhaps you could have stayed

if only I would have been content

to look with the corner of my eye.

But I could not be content –

if you were there –

truly there –

I wanted to see you

with both eyes again

just so that the

right eye could

confirm

what the left eye

saw

and send that message

to my brain

so that my brain

could tell my heart.

 

 

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