last night, the space of you came
it heard me sniffling or softly sobbing
it blinked with curious eyes, despite only
being a shadow.
the shadow sat on the edge of the bed
ruffled my hair wordlessly, then petted it
down, unsure what to do with me.
it couldn’t speak, it didn’t say anything
it was not one for much touching either.
but the space of you knew.
it saw, and it tried
and that’s all we can ask for.
I never expected emotional distance
on top of social distance
and yet here we are
and aren’t.
the space of you,
it tried
and that’s all
we can ask for.
Ellen Huang is an aro/ace writer of fantasy. She reads for Whale Road Review and is published/forthcoming in VIBE, Lumiere Review, Sword & Kettle Press, Tealight Press, Gingerbread House Lit, and more. You should see her semi-spiritual blog where she explores cinema, folklore, and faith: worrydollsandfloatinglights.wordpress.com