not long

oh tennessee williams

i must respond

i too

have not long to love

darkness lingers endlessly

the time alone

is filed away

inside my head

always

in my bluest jeans

a proper tee

and in the chill

a cozy sweater

to warm my hands

not my heart

which is mere

kindling for a start

for every year

and every day

the commonness

gradually wears away

and the boots i love

essentially who i am

trying to arrive

over there

perhaps

one night

maybe in the fall

with leaves swirling

tumbling in the air

a lovely dress

i comb my hair

and toss it loosely

into a knot

a different me

to look upon

the quiet nights

like all the rest

the only words

i tell myself

the time

it passes

the same each day

we have not long to love

you say

i feel the urgency

in an odd way

i might beget

what is left of light

a day

a year

a decade

maybe more

a gaze

a touch

to feel alive

that someone cares

if i stay

or if i go

to journey

somewhere faraway

a different day

a later night

the subtle difference

in my life

i do not have long to love

i look for moments

that dare to stay

instead of a winter

that withers

crumbles

then falls away

— patty