it used to be that i would write to enact a
desire for isolation. it was a way to say. i
want to be left alone. to my thoughts. with
my words. i want you to leave me alone. cant
you see that im trying. im trying to write. im
thirsty. im writing these words to quench my
thirst. i write alone in the hopes that i would
write myself into exhaustion. into sleep. i did
just that. and that was when you came to me.
carrying water in your mouth. you leaned
into. you passed it along from mouth to
mouth. our lips did not touch. this was not a
kiss. a kiss would not have led me here. you
woke me from sleep by quenching my thirst.
this lasted but a minute. i am thirsty again.
today im writing. its usually to someone. im
writing something. i want to hear it read out
loud. i want to see it on a page, in a book. i
want to see you inside these words. where are
you. i am thirsty. how are you.
Copyright © 2022 by Truong Tran. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on January 4, 2022, by the Academy of American Poets.