don't close your eyes

i need
red lipstick
more time

and you.
by now everyone knows who i mean when i say that.
do you?
we were fire and magic and perfect
or at least i thought so
i carried your poem in my bag
your image in my mind
your words burned into my memory
and i waited to see you again
to see if that fire that had been smoldering
would finally ignite.
i pore over the words to find some meaning
some explanation.
wait in vain for the courage to call
knowing that i should.
writing is easier than speaking -
the words flow and i can tell you what i think
what i feel
the things i can't bring myself to voice.
if this . . . was a message left on your phone
i would have stopped long ago
unsure of what to say
how to fill the silence that says more than i ever can.