perpetual motion

we went to sleep, decided.
separate beds
partitioned dreams
we'd done the math, 
dismal calculations,
knew that what we said - this time - 
was really what we'd mean.
but when the alarm went off,
and morning rang through us both,
i felt a hidden seam rip open,
a button come unclosed.
we finished coffees,
stacked dishes in the sink,
grabbed jackets, dog on its leash,
locked the sliding glass, lights off, 
turned down the heat.
but then just stood there, at the door,
imobile, still in our socked feet.
we live in circles,
you said
car keys trembling in your hand,
and i knew then what you meant.
we'd always been at opposite
ends of the same unbroken loop,
moving at different tempos 
on the same möbius strip.
me leaving, 
you long having left, 
but now, here you are, suddenly returning, 
us briefly aligned for this last intimate exit.