Kitchen table piled with clutter
Loose thoughts, loose threads
One room merges with another
In our hearts, in our heads
Notebook to an empty page
Acid-free, archival grade

Studios in Brooklyn and in Venice
LAX, JFK
Stories from our time in Paris
Dans le coeur, du marais

Dreams that want to be set down
In charcoal, and graphite
I fill in the shapes but leave the edges wide
There's no worry, it's just a pencil sketch tonight

Scattered toys and steaming pots
See her crawling at last
Fingers pressing on that spot
In the small of your back
Creases 'round your eyes and mouth when you smile down

Flocks of geese and ribbons bending south
I shade in the nightfall
The sound of you singing to her down the hall
But don't you worry, it's just a pencil sketch, that's all
You don't have to be a part of this picture
Maybe someone else's face could fit here
I could take the nub of this eraser
Crumple paper, start anew
But not 'til you tell me to

Sunlight melting, river glints
Bodies framed in faded chairs
Lime and sugar, sprig of mint
Made the same for fifty years
An easy silence floating between our two mason jars

Oh, sometimes when you look at me I can see that far
And then the colors blur, the lines smudge
Oh I'll play it cool for now and time will be the judge
There's no hurry, it's just a pencil sketch of us