I am alive

...if barely.

The other night I held a stranger
close to my body on a downtown hotel bed.

I told her I was high
"on proximity"
it was true.
We both confessed that
it had been a long time
since we had been so close
to
anyone.

But it was only proximity.
I ate and her body shook gratefully,
beautifully,
and uncontrollably.
I stood,
tucked in my shirt,
and told her to
stay
in touch.

A jet plane landed in San Francisco.
She is gone now
and I don't
miss her.

C'est la vie.
And so it goes.
These are the days of
our
lives.