to tie it all together

by erin

I am always running down the hall
to turn up the heat
and then wait for the fan to start up
before I run back downstairs
to wait for my room to warm up.
the covers just aren't enough
for me to fall asleep
comfortably.

and this was one difference between us:
how I cannot fall asleep
when I am shivering,
and how his dreams shrivel up
when mixed with heat

how he leaves his window open
to tunnel under blankets

I would like to blame
the knowledge
of us sleeping in different cities,
and in different beds,
on something as innocent
and impartial as temperature, but

he was always running down the streets
alive in the city
and I thought we could overcome it
before it swallowed us up,
but it's distance, and it's a formidable thing
who can outrun it? it is a tin can phone
that would stretch for the miles between us
if we had the string.

and the attempts that were made
to tie it all together just weren't enough
for me to fall asleep
comfortably.