The thing between us
Is not a wall
Or a closed door
It’s not an object of physical measures.

The thing between us
Is lighter than air
And stronger than religion
But it’s nothing worth praying to.

The thing between us
Occupies my mind and soul
Consuming fantasies with wretched fires
Yet it’s nothing you can just diminish with water.

The thing between us?
That one sentence-mumbled under your breath-
“I can’t love you.”
Then you walked away, leaving me standing there in the cold.

Somehow, clouds of air puffed from my lungs.
Somehow, because I swore I was suffocating.

Suffocating,
On the thing between us.