Achilles

I remember how we slept with bears, named

Clutched to noses in hopes of forgetting distances slept-over from home.

Humbly traced fingertips, temples, cheeks

I call this childhood love, childhood love

I miss the flower-pressed butterfly kisses into my palms

And the moonlight supervising as we studied every trace of each other

Before our giggles crescendoed and

my mother spoke two words to us, kindly

"Goodnight, girls."

I write poetry - verses I run to reclaim for you

At midnight sometimes I'm embarrassed of

my expectations of tenderness as we had once... Today such a thing is a whale floatig into my dreams. Too highly expected.

I see you've grown and we're older,

Unfinished marble exposing the truth -

It was only what they'll call childhood love, childhood love

Still, I'll miss our whispered secrets

and dandelion wishes.

I'll reserve some tears for you, Achilles.

~