Pebbling

“Gentoo penguins know a good pebble when they see one. Scooping them up in their beaks, they carry them to their partner; a gift that acknowledges the relationship between the two penguins and helps grow the nest for their budding family” (BBC Earth)

My wife sends pebbles from her phone to mine,

little digital reminders she is thinking of me,

our lives now, or the ways our live could be

if only we tried. some “wish you were heres” from

the opposite couch. See this reel?

Hard to tell where it ends, this uncharted land

stretching everywhere so we can’t get our bearings.

I’ll send her one back, hope she hasn’t seen it yet,

the start of a conversation I can’t have in the flesh.

It’s not cowardice, just a new way to say how it’s always been.

I’ll send it when I think she is sleeping

drifting off to a playlist on endless repeat,

just the sound of someone else’s heart beating.