he's soft and sweet on the phone
like he used to be
and it's better but
I sob
just for knowing
I've never come quite that close
just for hoping
I will again
even if he doesn't ask the right questions
or remember that I love that song
I can't make any rules
in The Bell there's a sermon
about how it's a more worthy undertaking
to preserve one's innocence
than to seek experience
then that very night a would-be priest
kisses a young man on the mouth
and everything tilts
inhaling clear pebble
