I Am Without You

Whenever lonely, I am without you.

A bird missing a wing, a fedora without its feather,

the moon obscured by clouds, in moments of lost words,

the octave missing its seventh note.

If I am lonely,

I find you in my dreams. In the cleft of my imagination.

Hidden between lines of verse. In quarter rests on sheet music.

Embroidered on the quilt covering my naked body at night,

on the shadowed wall in my mind.

If I am lonely,

Ring the steeple bell. Toss rice in the air. Release

white doves. Meet me at the altar. If that is where you are

I am there. Though absent in body I am present in spirit.

Feel the wind. Feel the breeze. Listen for rustling leaves.

It is me. It is me.

Whenever lonely, I am without you.

 

© emmett wheatfall