august and everything after

as if you were something
not made of stone
as if you were something light
something not entirely substantial
and when you moved your arms
through the air
it was as if the primal urge
had molted
and given you wings
where your arms were

and when you bled
from your memories
as if they were a dry nose
or an elbow scab
you felt more alive
than the countless
intervening
worthless
distance
moments spent
bringing you here

to this overlook
looking into the past
and future with equal
clarity
with hands clasping the fingers
of your equal parts love
and doom

and how you smile
and laugh
and move
and shake a little
like leaves
in the august wind

and you touch
everyone
you ever touched
and everyone
you ever hurt
when you do
when you do
anything at all

so that it feels
as if your any action
is as superlative
as these forever
and everything
lines

and i'd say
don't ever forget
but it sounds silly
doesn't it