This poem is inspired by the following phrase:
"Absence is such a large house"
– Pablo Neruda
This stranger spills his chalice
I am obliged to swab the soaking naked tabletop
strip it down in victory
gaze so deeply in the blackest sincere eyes
engorge starry quasar, wringing out the night
with subtle turn of phrase
sharp anecdotal commentary
in place of boring apologetic pleasantry
I fixate on the splendor of it
masterful attraction;
the moment lay unfolded, shaggy
and uncomfortable
comfort I recall eases minds
affording inspiration, I pour myself
into his glass, to be consumed by him
it isn't much to ask, to embody
a passionate dreamer
a story teller, to share a vision
Absence is such a large house
I'd hate to leave this sphere empty handed
beneath the table I absorb his words
within him I am alive
