Of all the things to do

that may be helpful

in situations such as this,

of longing and dissatisfaction,

this one sticks to me.

Of all the things that

I want to but won’t do

is to say—

unprompted, unexpected

back-filled with countless

hours of rumination

obsessive languishing

forestalled intentions

imagined conversation

self-conscious wavering

internal boasting

internal dispraise

internal doubt

sickness and joy—

to look

into the green of you

from the green of me

and sigh and say:

I am attached,

I am very sorry to tell you