Hold

I remember the night
we yelled the walls down
just to see
who was listening.
You bit your tongue
so hard
I could feel the summer
rise beneath my feet
and I knew how it felt
to tremble
like bleached shells
or rain caught in a cup

You let me
roll your stockings down
and we jumped the fence
to steal strawberries
which I watched you eat
like a dying man's
last wish
and I knew I wanted
to be the taste
that made your cheeks flame
pink.

We watched the leaves fall,
lost messages,
flattening the trees
like too many moments
we could not remember
or celebrate,
and it made me
count you on my fingers
and wonder why
I ever thought
I could hold you in my hand...