she sips an ice cube
the sky crackles and condenses onto her lips
like she is kissing a stormcloud into rain
I think I could say these things aloud
except that the night is beaming
around her, guarding,
and insect chirps muffle her laugh
and my teeth are turning soft to cotton
tonight the stars are like saltwater:
the more I stare
the thirstier I am for their shine
she too is like the ocean
dust of coral in her eyes, undulating,
holding inside of her
great swaths of land and sky.