Long Distance

by Nicky Ellam

We could use up every light-bulb
in the world,
burning them all until dawn
when we make late-night phone calls
to plan dinner dates that are never kept,

and kid ourselves that the number of motorway signs
we'd have to read,

that the amount of service-stops
we'd have to make before we could see each other,
are smaller than they seem on the map,

but I'm sorry.

No matter
how many kisses you put at the end of your emails,
they just aren't enough.