Definition of Hope

The reflection of my body in the mirror, in a puddle of rain, on the tip of your eyelash, is my definition of hope. When nothing else, and no one else, is even near, my reflection is all that's needed to define my hope, proving all that's real, my words on the page, without warning or symptoms, my fingers once again in Hemingway earnest, tap, tap - tap, tap, tap, tap...and I write.... as I am remained in taboo thoughts no one ever writes about, as a roar of silence cuts through the scent of my skin, and the air around me swells in insidious vibration. Faltering my fingers at the bathroom sink, splashes of cold water bring blood vessels to surface, my face, a peculiar blend of old and new. In the mirror I lean forward, expectant to see the shadow of myself in rearview.... the cold shrill of winter settling into my tailbone, bearing down on the nakedness of my chest, as I reach skeletal and exhaustingly for the sunlight streaming in through the window...my definition of hope, is you!