Pluto

the

w

a

r

m

t

h

of the sun

and everything c i r c l i n g it

aching for the

light

to

f e e l

the touch

you gave

freely

to others

to be the forehead beneath your

hand,
a kiss

at the temple
soft, loving t o u c h e s
to quell

the

nightmares

to soothe

the

t

e

a

r

s

to make

the d a r k n e s s
a little less dark

the c e n t e r of our system
the gravity

that held

us together

the

l

i

g

h

t

by which

we

learned

to l o v e

learned

to l i v e

learned

to

t h r i v e
or not.

the i n n e r planets
shifting

and

with each passing day
d r i f t i n g closer

when needed
pushed

h

o

v

e

r

i

n

g

just outside

the w a r m t h
close enough to glimpse the

I learned to live on

borrowed

light.
to find the

cold

familiar
to mistake

d i s t a n c e

for i n d e p e n d e n c e
to tell myself

that wanting

was the same as

needing
and needing

was something
I should have o u t g r o w n

I was a

p l a n e t
then

I wasn't

demoted
reclassified
reduced

to something

smaller
something lesser
something

that could be l e f t
at the very edges of your

s

p

a

c

e
without

a

n

y

o

n

e

noticing
or caring

but Pluto kept

r

e

v

o

l

v

i n g
didn't it?

I

sometimes

wonder
if you ever noticed
how far I had to travel
for an i n c h of your warmth
a moment of your time
the simplest of

s

m

i

l

e

s


how long

I

lingered in

d o o r w a y s
drifting

toward the

fading l i g h t
how I mistook your

occasional glance
for the rising

dawn

and I spent my whole childhood
mistaking

d i s t a n c e
for something

I

had

done.