fog paints itself thick over

abandoned early morning alleyways.

like walking through a transparent snow

drift.

damp clothes, humid skin.

cold hands link together in anonymous darkness.

eyes shimmer in flickering lamplight.

lamppost lights scattered down the lane like a stones skipped on a still pond.

silence

i hear a drip in the distance.

the stone has sunk.

lights out, daylight bursts out from behind the neighbourhood

where have we been? has time passed naturally or have we fast forwarded this scene as to bypass the sad parts.

the awkward silence, viewing our shoes slowly shuffling and digging into the dirt we stand on.

our hands drifted apart

left alone.

this paint is scraped away. peeled from my skin revealing something new.

dry. raw. i hope for moisture.

tears fall as rain, coat & moisturize my skin like a blanket of neutral cream in an unmarked jar.

i stand motionless.

i stand motionless for eternity.