last night ended later than intended
as we talked in abstracts
of our longer, slower walk
through self-planted land mines
acknowledged egoic needs,
insecurities, petty competition;
all of the sad, mistaken loss
tethered to the lead
of a winding self-imposed
need for safety, our fears
as well-fingered as a
remembered blanket’s
satin-frayed edge
our conversations
erode the old stories,
purge pain with every word
spit like soot from our souls
shared, it dissolves into
an atmosphere cleansed
by an understanding of;
our familiar, similar selves
aligned and connected
we are lucky we have us