Ache

I awake to the absence of you. 

It is thick in my mouth, weighs on my eyes,

It is the faint roar of traffic that tiptoes,

Through the gaps in old windows,

Muddling melancholy birdsong,

And tugs taciturn ears awake.

You are the sleepy ache in my whole body, 

That no sweet stretch can satiate.

A dog is barking, the way your dog barks.

I feel sad, the way you feel sad.

Soon I must roll awake, away from you, 

And throw things open, like wounds. 

But a moment longer to breathe this sour, 

Dense air that does not taste of you. 

Why did I not dream of you, I think, 

As the memory of you yawns, 

And makes my mouth water.