Penelope

Where do you come back?

All I see are doors and shores.

I can't see myself reflected

In your face anymore--

And that scares me.

It's all searching and finding

Everything But You.

It's all bleeding lists and

Disgusted faces and hands

Pushing me toward

Everything in the World

Else.

I'm leaking. Slowly.

Every Version of your Face

and Voice slips from me

And I fear what might fill

the Space left when

Everything I Know

of You is gone.

Can you come back

And be with me

Just a little?

Just so I know

Not to be Afraid?

I keep looking for You

Like I lost you in the Store

as a Child.

Nothing on the shelves is the Same

Without You to help me see and

Find it.

There is nothing to distinguish without

Your Smiles and Frowns.

All other Faces are just Faces.

Just a chart of ways I want to see You.

I know what to expect when you come back.

I've seen it enough times in these doors

And on these Shores where

They tell me to Wait.

That's as far as I can go

On One-One Hundredth

Of a Dollar.

Tickets Punched and

Lines Scratched Out

But no You.

Money would not

Have brought you

back anyway. But

it would be Something

to count as I waited.