breath settles
memory thins to glass
they return

he in white
hair like a dark strike across light
eyes burning without apology

she —
cat-nerved, language-bright,
a blade dressed as a girl

autumn slides into winter
repeat entry
like fate practicing
music. carpets. glowing faces.
too much beauty creates a kind of fear

america happens
then i come back

their kingdom
two cats like thoughts at the edge of speech
rooms humming with unspent possibility
and then —
brightness collapses
castle ? bonehouse
love ? fever dream
radiance ? sleepless body in a cold room
she leaves
he stays
some stories don’t break
they dissolve
and you only notice
when you wake hungry
in a city that no longer knows you