December 23 Poem

sometimes
the world
and i am
too hard
to touch
beset with numbers
that tick
and take
a toll or
too many voices
to hear
even one
mine
or yours
i turn away
and tell
everything
and nothing
to know one
i know
like you
and your touch
which is softer
than any word
i know
i want the world
at a distance
so i can leave
it alone
when it asks
too much
and strip ornaments
from my memory
to live
with you
now
somewhere outside
the world
somewhere inside
where my hands
and my mouth
are open
to receive
your tenderness
and i can hear
your heart
as clear
as if
it were mine.