Some people listen to French
lessons in their sleep.

They wake up to say bonjour
to the cat and scramble an oeuf.

Years ago, we said je t’aime
in place of I love you—a placeholder,

a meter long—a distance
we needed then. And now,

Tu vas! I whisper to you
as you sleep. Go!

Go, when what I mean is
don’t you wish, encore une fois,

we were young again, or I was,
or for that kind of beauty.