Our feet crunched atop the leaves
on a stinging, blistering night,
and though we were bundled in beanies
our bodies shivered so we cradled each other tight
Everyone but us and the moon
existed outside those boxy apartment halls,
along with clouds that strung across the sky
like sponge marks on a wall
The empty buildings and benches
picked up every letter we spoke clean,
from this chitter to that chatter
and all the syllables in between
But darkness doesn't tattle; we knew that very well
both you and I adored its black-bottomed cloak
because our words were kept hidden
under its loyal, seamless shell
