a particular mind
Nokyoung Xayasane

i read your messages
line by line
you send them
from across the ocean
in another continent

there are thirteen hours
between us
i have done the math

when you awake
i take my late evening stroll
when i am getting ready for bed
perhaps you are having
an afternoon snack

i wonder
if you have settled down
in your new place
what are you eating for supper
what books are you reading

i listen to music on the radio
they are playing the latest pop hits
and oldies from an era long ago
are you lonely
are you happy

i take a walk
as the sky and the buildings
begin to turn pink
you are looking at yourself
in the bathroom mirror
above your sink

in the evening i lie down
and you are beside me
i rest my head
in the crook of your arm
i nestle into the place
where I am safest
and you hold me like a child
it is good to be here with you

when i awake
i am without you again
i look around
and i wait, for what
i am not sure

the light begins
to wane in my bedroom
and i must turn on my lamp
this is how it is for me now
it takes a particular mind
that can exist
in two places
at once