Tender. for Vanessa.

Tender.

I used to have tender layers
unfolding.
I was a blossom
opening
and you were spring.
but it is summer now
and feeling a bit like hell.
I can sleep now.
And I feel like I am sewn to nothing.
those layers are more like
millions of white sheets,
suffocating.

-Shannon Masayo

Tender
I've been searching for the perfect way to share my city with you,
but mobile phone photos just don't do it justice,
so just fly out to the midwest,
and add a new chapter to your life.
It's a tender subject, but there's always an
open invitation for you to send your mail to my address,
and I'll clear cabinet space for your dishes.
They won't match anything I own,
but you can throw out a plate per day before I get home,
and I'll pretend I don't notice 'til my
hand-me-downs are all handed out.
We can share a bottle of wine and walk along the lake,
make our way downtown,
and get thrown out
of dive bars and dance with college kids,
I've done it once, I'll do it again.
With you, for you.
Life is simple when you're happy.
You wouldn't complicate a thing.

-Tylor Sherman