Loneliness is Love


			In the semi-hollow	
			fragrance of the dark
			the braying of a tick
			tock care:

			You
			not more than a pigeon
			an ordinary bird
			among thousands all sitting
			high atop some Venetian cathedral

			gondolas sing in voices
			too loud to hear, lonely 
			the long dark poles push 
			in the water, releasing
			ripples to reflect
			specks of sun
			like a thousand fireflies
			in a still night

			To you
			I hold out my hand
			filled with crumbs, and
			as your bony feet 
			dig unknowingly into
			my skin
			I know
			I will never be
			more lonely