August 13th

Why do we equate closeness with falling?
We say: the meteor falls to Earth,
though it may have come from
hundreds of thousands of miles away,
in a same-plane fashion
or zig-zag, perhaps.
Earth doesn’t pull so much as crash.

Likewise we say people fall in love,
as though it has more to do with gravity
than chaos.
Falling in love is just like bumping into a hurtling space-rock—
first the thrall of hot hot closeness,
then one hits those impenetrable, invisible
paper-thin barriers,
and is equally rebuffed.
Love is no more than the mad
crazy and beautiful streak on the sky
as we burn up.

EWV