The Silhouette
I see you
half in darkness,
a slender seam of light
along your cheek,
a little gold
caught in your hair.
The rest of you
belongs to shadow.
And I wonder—
what secrets
does the darkness
keep for you?
What have you hidden
behind those eyes,
behind the quiet
of your mouth?
Were you always
so familiar
with the dark,
or did it find you
somewhere
along the way?
Did you learn
to turn your face
from the light,
to fold your sorrow
into silence,
to disappear
before anyone
could see
the tender places?
I wonder
what it left
inside you.
And still—
I want to come closer.
To touch
that slender edge
of light
along your cheek.
To brush
the loose strand
from your face,
to feel
the warmth
of your skin
beneath my hand.
I want to gather
your tears
before they fall,
to kiss
the salt
from your lips,
to hold you
until your shoulders
forget
the weight
of carrying
the night.
And for a moment—
you let me.
Your head
against my chest,
my arms
around you,
your breath
a whisper
against my neck.
So close
I can feel
the tremor
beneath your skin.
I hold you
as though
my hands
could quiet
every darkness
that ever found you.
As though
tenderness
might be enough.
Then—
you lift your face.
Light catches
in your eyes.
And you are gone.
My arms
close around
the silence
you leave behind.
Only that slender
golden edge
remains—
your silhouette,
half in shadow,
half in light,
and still
the woman
I cannot reach.