Trip

I wait
for the shooting star
that never comes
the boy sits next to me
and yet he's not in there
we lost him somewhere
along the trip

my fingertips are blue with cold
so I hide my hands in my pockets
to keep from reaching out
his eyes are cryptic

the Northern star laughs above our heads
all my tricks are used up
and he's not impressed
the waves come crashing in
and I curse them for breaking
our last silence
he sees Orion

I'm losing a battle
I never knew I was fighting
the others have gone for coffee
with my hands in my pockets
I'm still reaching out
but he just stares ahead

My ears are stinging from the midnight wind
my nose is red and swollen
I know he's still somewhere in there
I just can't find him without a map
the lights are out in the house behind us
and I'm wearing his coat

in the silence I realize
maybe I've gone too far
"We have a communication problem"
he says
and only on that do we agree

I know I can't be the damsel
even though I'm in distress
'What are you doing?'
my mind screams
his eyes are cryptic
and I was never good at puzzles

In the silence between us
lie the ghosts of our memories
back when I was thin
and he was honest
back when his eyes
were neon signs on my horizon

Beneath the frozen sand
and in the silence between us
the ghosts of who we once were
take hands and turn to leave us
I rub my sleepy eyes
and hide myself in my pockets
to keep me from running
and reaching out to them

Above our heads
I see
a shooting star
but it's too late
we lost ourselves
somewhere
along the trip