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when I lived in Philadelphia
I had a friend that chased
himself through open doors

he watched birds roost
on the gutters of his mother’s
aging and crumbling house

he was married to his
high school love

she had eyes that burned
and echoed stories of secret
desires or triumphs

when we all went stargazing
in the countryside
I would watch her mouth
and the way her tongue
hit her teeth emphatically
when she yelled she found
a constellation we hadn’t seen

her husband would gaze at the sky
and pay us no attention
intent on finding something new

well she watched him
like he watched the stars -
full of gentle curiosity
and infinite admiration