Just one more pour
and she will finally taste
the dream-come-true renewal
the commercial promised.

Just a little more sleep
and the hope will return
to answer his questions
of where to go, who to trust,
and how to be.

Just a little less chatter
and this reunion might end early,
inviting the quicksand
to pull us back under our tattered rugs.

Just a little less temper
and this commute might reward us with
longer yellow lights and
gentler disappointments.