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but like my friend said
it’s the act of being laid down
beside somebody else
to hear their breath
to watch their chest
raise to the ceiling
then gently hear
the chasms in the chest
empty and fill
again

after a while

after a while

after a while

after a while

summer breathes into
my bones and it feels
like every other summer before it
but I’ll say I’m a year older
and I’ll do my best
not to cry
or run away when my day comes
like every other year

perhaps I’ll lie
out in the grass like a star
and burn the earth underneath me
and apologize to the ants
I ushered away