The night is all around us—

Squid ink blackness.

Tiny illuminations in the dome above.

Our heads flung back—

Unison gazes into the abyss.

The dog is tugging at us.

We step forward, my hand clasped in yours.

You show me the constellations—

Pointing into the endless sky.

I thought I knew, but I didn’t.

A sharp longing for your mouth 

Occurs inside of me.

My lips find yours in the darkness.

Even with my eyes closed, I can still see the stars.

You brush my cheek with the tips of your fingers—

Everything makes sense out here.

We are nothing, small.

This sky, this moon, this night air—

This is what’s real.

I wonder if we’re lost.

The cold begins to seep into our bones.

I lean myself into you.

You wrap your arms all the way around me,

Pull me close and tight.

I feel something begin to unravel inside.

In silence, I begin to undo my coat,

Thinking I’ll show you

This organ melting inside of me,

Bleeding through the warm layers

Seeping out of the flesh.

A glimmer peaks out of me,

Disrupting the night.

You search for the origin.

I cover myself up and walk.

The moon hides herself, clouds emerge.

The night is uncertain.

The moon shifts and wanes.

The waves crashing with her pull,

I tuck myself deeper into your arms.

Close my eyes, and breathe you in.

I don’t need to know the answers

In this moment.

There are no questions—

Only you and I and the stars,

Blinking bright in the universes above.