the rain understands us    forgives us for not stepping out

into its vague dampness of melting heart    instead

on the floor we congregate for side-eye romance

of skin-on-skin grazing    then resting    then holding    cushioned

by large blankets in lieu of the sofatocome    head-on-shoulder

eyes-on-TV    we tread the ground of comfortability

weigh in the vulnerability of the early morning    bags heavy

minds loose    breaths stale to the act of impression    we want

to give in to longing    begin to curl around the neck

like scarves    wear each other’s hands as gloves

no longer shrink away from touch    smooth over the coarseness

of our hearts with impromptu descriptors of affection

like toddlers we are learning to understand one another

the way the rain hears the call of the earth and rushes to meet it