it's usually on solo business trips
(Amsterdam
Oslo
Alabama
Salt Lake City)

when the day is done
and the hotel room is lonely
colored in crayola midnight blue

frequently the roar of the city outside the window is muted
(cars on the highway
tipsy revelers
cats fighting)

especially when I hear the cadence of high heels walking past
reverberating through the empty street
where even they don't have a partner

that's often when I lie awake
and still miss you