"Here Was I We Are" and "Late Stage"

Here Was I We Are

Her face
 
I step toward
 
I'm standing
behind
her eyes
    seeing
with my eyes
    through
her eyes
 
night.
 
We
look down
 
    sidewalk
    curb
    gutter
 
    asphalt pocked black
 
We
look up
 
    doorways lights
    headlights​
    white yellow
    then tail lights
    red curved lips and slashes
 
I
close
my
eyes
 
Hear
through
her
ears
 
muffled
 
a name
 
Mine  Hers
 
    Neither
 
    No matter.
 
She is
    we are
         walking.
 
Heels
like
finger
snaps.
 
Then -
 
BANG
 
    running
 
vision
blinking
random
 
frac-tur-ing
 
She-I
stumble trip fall
 
air     like deep water
 
Her/My/Our
hand
stretches catches breaks
    our
 
fall
 
         then
 
plain air
clear sight
 
night
 
I
Me
I
 
watching
rushing
have rushed
am
 
    helping
 
her
 
warm
night
    warm
 
Facing -
 
Are you…?
 
         Yes
 
Good.

Late Stage
             (Nap Time at Nordie’s)

Taking a break
in an easy chair
in a nicely appointed
department store
 
Surrounded by
 
glass and stainless steel
 
Surrounded by
 
purses shoes
wallets pens
watches
 
Breathing cool
conditioned air
 
relaxed
 
slipping away
falling in falling out.
 
Chimes subtle
in the deep background
 
chimes
in the
deep
 
chimes.
 
Body temp dips
just a bit
 
slow pulse slows
 
jaw relaxes
 
head
 
drops
&
jerks
 
drops
&
jerks
 
eyes slide open
scan watery surroundings
 
murmurs like a helpful lift
from a fellow diver
seem to bring me up
to surface
 
where rheostats hum.
 
She says:  We’re almost done…
 
Eyes flutter
and close again.
 
On the wine dark sea
 
an eighteen story
     ocean liner
 
slowly
 
slowly
 
capsizes.