strum

In another room
head tilted his face
a blur of brightness
beneath the hanging light
he does not look up
at the hush of her slippers on the floor;
she squints to see
his mouth squeezed round
but only imagines
its shape beyond the light's
glare. When she closes
her eyes
she sees it
like a red thumbprint
behind her lid
tries to see more
than this fierce halo
finally fading as she
imagines him sitting
beside her
absent-mindedly
brushing
her ankle
with the backs of his fingers
as if strumming
a guitar.