We Need More Words

You showed up;
finals week and all, I answered the door
and noticed you standing
with bruises wrapped snuggly around your calves.

Then you showed me the star burst on your hip:
blue and yellow rings. You laughed about a canoe.

I settled back in my chair and longed for the tree
outside my window, turning leaves upside down in the breeze.

For me, the yellow stains.