as it is

you were in my dreams
before you came. to be clear,
it was a portrait,

not YOU in the flesh.
because in the dream, you were
grown and gone, and i

was old and lonely.
you sat, smiling that chipmunk
grin of yours, your cheeks

full, your hair a blend
of ash and umber. and your
eyes -- deep and dark, like

Flow Blue china plates.
what struck me, though, was your teeth.
tiny white chicles,

cutting through your gums.
such a detail is often
missed in my dreams, but

there they were, peaking
through that perfect smile, above
that morsel of chin.

and here they are now,
biting my finger, as you
squeal and kick your feet.