architecture

Architecture--
a way of saying, "If your spine
is a staircase, I will learn every
step, and be gentle in
touching the banister.

I don't know where it leads
yet--perhaps to a dusty attic,
resembling your head. I know you've
written books and took the nasty looks
from strangers, transforming them until
they turned into something beautiful.
You've bought dead houseplants from
Walmart, took them home, loved them
and then gave them a proper burial.
Some people thought you were hysterical.
I thought of you as spiritual.

You've got toes like stepping stones,
and when we're talking late at night, on
the phone, I listen to your tone, quiet--not
like you're trying to hide, but instead like you're
trying to confide. Sometimes, I can't tell if you've
left the door to the kitchen open, or the
door to your eyes. Either of which
are a lovely surprise."

Architecture--
a way of saying, "You
are beautiful. I don't need
a house to have a home."