Elsewhere, Mon Amour
By Nick Flynn
Leaning from the platform, waiting for a glimmer
to braid the rails
the eyes of the action hero cut from the poster
all that concrete pressing down
A fine edge gleams around your body
as if it could be contained
The way each finger is licked, dipped in &
rubbed across the gums
until the teeth go away
Even my hands kiss you
A night broken down into grains
If you find yourself lost, dig
a cave in the snow, quickly
you need shelter against the night
A candle could keep you alive
the engine of your lungs
will heat the air around you, someone will
miss you, they will send out dogs
You must be somewhere, right?
Copyright Credit: “Elsewhere, Mon Amour” © 2000 Nick Flynn. Reprinted from Some Ether with the permission of Graywolf Press, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Source: Some Ether (Graywolf Press, 2000)