From Morning to Night – Collaboration

The cold early morning breeze penetrating the thick blazer and piercing my chest,
Another long day ahead of me.

First thing this morning, I’m listening to his voice
On my iPod, a recording of him reciting poetry,
While I’m walking sidewalks, dodging elbows.

A lonely drive through an overcrowded highway,
A feeling of isolation even in the midst of hundreds of people scrambling about to get on with their day.

Even as I have his voice memorized,
I can’t get enough. I’m lonely without him near.
Even as I’m jostled, a single life in a sea of lives.

Surrounded by unfamiliar faces,
People who don’t even know the real me,
Who can’t tell my real smile apart from a fake one,
People who probably wouldn’t even notice if I suddenly disappeared.

Grabbing a cup to go, the girl behind the glass,
She knows my order, but does she know Me?
Does she know I ache for my Love, for him?

I keep picturing her reflection in my cup of coffee,
Only to turn around and see that she isn’t there.
Just a little bit longer now.

There’s these little everyday things that suddenly
Remind me of him. I turn to share, to laugh…
Oh yeah, … I miss him. Long, slow hours crawl.

The little locket picture of her by my desk is my only consolation,
The little talks we had over the phone.
Knowing that I’ll be seeing her again in some time is what keeps me going.

I keep texting him pointless things, memes, emojis
Anything to remind him that I’m thinking about him
To keep both our spirits up, keep us sane.

As the moon is at its highest,
The drive back home is less lonely.
Turning the handle on the front door,
Walking inside and seeing her,
Almost makes all my exhaustion disappear.

Glancing at the time, my heart stutters:
He’ll be home soon! And then, yes,
the key in the lock, and there he is,
my Love, my breath, my chest bursts with joy!

Wrapping my arms around her, just hearing her heartbeat,
There’s no place I’d rather be than in his arms,
She tells me about her tiring day as I massage her back,
He’s so very good to me and I turn to kiss him, letting him feel all my love,
God, I missed her laugh, her sweet voice,
Listening as he shares pieces of his day with me,
Her head’s leaning over my chest, my fingers playing with her long hair,
My own fingertips stroking up and down his arm, resting in him, only him,
Her somniferous strokes soothe my senses and her voice gets me drowsy,
I stifle a yawn as I hold him tighter, so relaxing, so perfect here with him,
My hands become her warm blanket as she closes her sleepy eyes,
Remembering each past moment, he’s always the best part of my every day,
Our breaths now synchronized, eyes shut, hands interlocked, ending our day together,
How well we fit together, him and I, morning to afternoon, evening to night, and I love him for that.

©️Sulaiman Hafeez & tara caribou – 2018