that day there were no more explosives or flowers in the air

that day peeled back a jagged blue
as the first sight to greet the eyes in the morning,
stretching over the mountain tops
until it leaked into every household
within walking distance of the city

that day the bus broke down
three blocks over and one minute before
my inevitable speech about buying a car
in case i ever ended up stranded downtown again
with only $1.25 in my name

that day was one of the last days the leaves fell,
twitching in their agonized dance
as if trying to prolong the descent of winter
for just a second longer, allowing their voices to sing
once more before they met their end
under the crunch of my boots

that day I had no classes
but came to college anyways, to visit and pretend
i was doing my homework
and that time when i sat down on the couch
in the student lounge beside you,
i waited a moment before gently removing your arm
from around my shoulders