Peripheral Vision

I wish to stare right into you, 

But if I did

I would never see beautiful things again.

So I must learn to love with peripheral vision. 

I breathe change in each second

and this patient hour will pass

you will be dark and 

I will feel light.

I stare off centre and

watch your gradient shift from 

blue to 

orange to 

purple to

pink

I will not think 

but listen to

The urban river rushing in front of me

Ebbing and flowing differently than 

The natural lull and pull of the blue jade 

waters

I also crave. 

When I close my eyes and open my ears, I see the most wonderful things.

I stare off centre but you

in the corner of my mind’s eye

catch my attention. 

We hold each other 

for as long as we allow it.

If I stare too long at magnificence,

It will multiply and ascend.

Orange and purple are complementary colours, but the mauve side of you moves too quickly for my eyes to catch up 

And they say it’s not good to stare at the sun

So I must learn to love with peripheral vision. 

I cannot help but stare into eyes staring right back at me. 

How is periphery enough? 

He says it’s time for bed with beautiful violet compliments and 

sweet nectar kisses.

I fight the urge to look toward.

As he drifts slowly to sleep away from me and sings good morning to another 

I will not be sad for tomorrow he will shine over me an amethyst sky under which I will dance.

We will create a colour that does not exist 

and play on the peripheral boundaries of colour, light and where the sidewalk ends. 

Though your eyes are now shut, 

The intersection of our peripheral vision has left me with dreams of crocodile teeth and flamingo feathers. 

Goodnight my love, I will see you in the morning. I'll be the one yearning and resisting to look you in the eye.

Til then, I’ll be learning to love with peripheral vision.