the Pennsylvania sky

flattest steely-blue
smothered beneath scattered clouds
muting any sun
skies stalwart and silent as
the down-trodden men below

by the look in your eyes

your words
so full of well-ripened sadness
running out like juice
over my lips from a pear

 

turning up the volume

if you smile loudly enough, no one listens for your whisper.

Held hostage

I hold you up
even as my face slips
beneath the salt-strewn spray
treading in place
because you refuse to swim

moving on alone
is not an option
but how can I save you
once the waves
have taken me away