Here and Now

There was a snow globe that rested
on a dresser for years
I  took it for granted
the flakes fell on a house on a hill
that overlooked a book of poems

I remember the wonder
of its curves and its cold touch on my
calluses
the light refracting off the glass
and your lilting laughter whenever you
would shake it
as if every time the snow buzzed around
its tiny enclosure was the first time you’d seen it
and some how in all of life’s mess
it got lost in the shuffle
and we moved on a little sadder
a little more broken

I’m trying to build
something
here
with you
and the foundations need to be re-built
because they’ve been eaten away by termites
that I failed on the first inspection to see
because I was too busy staring at the wonders of
a pretty surface

and I’ve been tearing at my
hair stressing at how much work
it is

but
but

there’s always been a reward
at the end of hard work
and I need a place to lay my
head

and I want your warm body
stretched against mine
as if we’re snakes
wrapped together in a double helix

you loved me enough
to give me the keys
pray to a god we’re both sure
doesn’t exist
that we won’t tear each other apart
again and trust we can build something
beautiful

history
repeats itself
the snow globe
may be a memory
but the book of poems is still there
and I still ache to hold you

so I set back to work
trying to build what once
I took for granted