space between us
there i am at lunch, telling a guy about the night sky. the stars, the moon, the planets. how i'm planning to spot saturn later that evening. a personal favorite. a total daddy planet. big, commanding. slow rotation. a body that takes time. and underneath? authority, structure, and control. the rings? accessorized power.
he doesn't even blink. "i'm only interested in uranus," he says.
i tilt my head. "my anus or uranus?"
"your anus," he grins. "y-o-u-r."
i laugh, a little louder than i mean to. he keeps eating like he didn't just drop a filthy astronomy joke. sunlight leaks through the blinds, hitting the side of his face just right. i think about the distance between us. one arm's length. maybe later i'll look for saturn, but right now, all i can see are the rings forming around his smile.