Soapbox

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"You belong to me"
The words simply escaped, kicked past the boundary of lips,
brushed by the guards of convention
and presented themselves as I stepped into his embrace.

He had only been gone 4 days, just a few hours away by plane
but with every nerve now fine-tuned to the thousands of ways
the world can take someone from you,
I found his return more than just the reestablishment
of companionship and routine.
For me his absence felt like something of irreplaceable value had been stolen, 
something rightfully and unquestionably mine,
like my voice or my fingerprints had been
slipped from my back pocket while my attention was elsewhere
only to turn up again here in the baggage claim area of the Columbus airport
looking fit, slightly tanned and cheerful.
"I missed you too" he said,
amusement in his voice because he didn't understand
hadn't been awake to see, didn't hear the echoing emptiness
that had threatened everything like the scream of an approaching missile…
never quite saw what was missing
until it had already come back.