Tonight what I need most
is your open hand, a leaf
settling in the small of my back,
undistracted
by the noisy surround of sex,
the lappings of massage,
even your wordy velvet concern.
Just the quiet dapple of fingers mapping
the continent of grief
I can't reach on my own.
by Susan Middleton
from Seed Case of the Heart
Slate Roof Publishing 2007