Thoughts of the up and down—

He lived in a place lit by the flicker of the flame within,
the fire fed by a woman’s smile, shuttered by the quiet pull
of the blinds he refused to loose.

She lived next door, looking out from time to time, shooting glances
at the man who lived within himself.

She smiled
He waved

It was as if a mirror had made their souls reflect away from one another,
as if a black hole of separation had dug a hole through space-time
to permanently sever hope of a connection between the two.

She smiled
He turned away, unable to smile back.

On the fortuitous day, that, like many others, started off gray,
he eliminated Einstein, stomped Schrodinger, hauled Hawking’s particles away

Filled the black hole to otherwhen,

Walked across the row

And loved her.