Jupiter
Loneliness weighs so much.
It’s heavier than I thought a thing could be.
The weight is occasionally taken up by
voices on the other end of the phone,
by faces on a computer screen.
But when the connection ends,
gravity regains its mastery
and even breathing becomes a challenge.
I am staggered by the distances between hugs
and embarrassed by how little I’ve recovered.
I keep saying I’ll get more involved but that
requires leaving the house and that requires
getting up and the air is made of lead.
How can the loss of one person
transport me across the solar system?
How has it sent me here where
my mass is doubled and everything else
is reduced to zero?
/ / /
21 May 2023
Charlottesville VA
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