No words until after          
we pour the wine               
chilled in the icebox          

only ourselves                   
alone together                    
more than kitchen,             
living room, bed                

but logged-out awayness,   
shut down devices               
front door locked                 

mind space cleared               
for this time                          
for each other                       

                                               and yet

even thinking "icebox"         
an inherited word                 
a DNA strand circling          

there are always                   
others, ancestors               
with us, embedded               
in words, thoughts






This luxurious slant
of summertime light
in afternoon repose 

bodies, not thoughts
language will ruin it
should it come let it
so it can float away 

without consequence,
action or attention,
or imposed meaning     

let being be
for this time
for each other



the body makes demands     
for water, food, shelter 
to bring us back to now

we are ourselves
our own worst
not enemies but
dreamers against the real