Dear Stranger

By Lindsey Catanzaro ‘23

Inhale—

We are two pairs of eyes set adrift

between walls and shelves

inhale your discomfort

and breathe in the cue of my smile

take your blank stare

and spray the perfume of your heart

in a cloud about your head

so I may be guided by its scent

as we share breath mints of cloth

Exhale.

Inhale—

you can’t breathe

i can’t breathe

our mouths are winds to our sails

with our ears as our masts

but we have not lost our breath

just lessened it

some, they have lost it

what you can take you can give

what you can carry you can drop

how quickly giving presence

can give the gift of sorrow

Exhale.

Inhale—

you say it’s not true, not a fact

but death is a certainty of life

death does not lie as people do

Exhale.

Inhale—

i am just a pair of eyes from afar

but I choose to do this

Red or blue blood

i love you

i love who you love

i love your life

i love your future

Exhale.

don’t you love me?