poem of the day 05.23.11

so i'm back a day early...sue me.

adios is the saddest word

over the atlantic
ally finally asleep
with this airplane
jostling me toward
a concept called america

oscar, i think of you
standing alone
outside the biblioteca nacional
saying to us

christ, i feel so bad

articulating what we all knew
that we felt
in those final moments

because no matter what
the time for drinks and conversation
had ended at the bar

the toasts to friendship
would have to cease for a while

that no more tapas would
be split in the plaza santa ana
as the sun set on blessed madrid

that the whores on grand via
would see us no more
as we stumbled toward sleep

that this goddamned ocean between us
has a lot of history but no soul

it only works
to keep people apart

i feel the weariness of these miles
thinking of you, mi amigo
as the plane dips
and scares the shit out of everyone

i feel bad too
empty, maybe

but still there is a joy within me
for the time that we shared

i think of all the words
that we gave each other during the week

the slang

the words for sex

the ones for food and family

i tell myself that hola
is a kind word

but good lord
if adios isn’t the saddest word
in the spanish language.