The Full Apartment (Aromantic Love)

Lyrics

[Intro]
The clock on the stove says two-oh-three.
The kettle is just starting to sigh.
There is no other breath here but mine.

[Verse 1]
The armchair by the window is worn in one place, a perfect hollow.
From years of my own weight.
My copy of *Dune*, the 1984 printing, is open on the arm.
Page four-hundred-and-seven.
The green tea from Kyoto is steeping in the pot my sister gave me.
Its steam fogs the glass.
They say a space holds the shape of what it’s waiting for.
This one is not waiting.

[Chorus]
They call it empty, this full apartment.
They listen for an echo, but I only hear the hum.
The whisper of connection is the turning of a page.
The quiet conversation with the person I’ll become.
The floorboards don’t complain about a single set of feet.
This house is not a vessel. It is already complete.

[Verse 2]
My phone lit up at noon, a picture from Maria in Lisbon.
A tile she knew I'd love.
The kitchen is clean, the spices are in alphabetical order.
Cardamom, then Clove.
I bought two perfect artichokes at the market on Saturday.
I will cook them for me.
With lemon and salt. I will eat them leaf by leaf.
And read my book, and not feel the slightest grief.

[Chorus]
They call it empty, this full apartment.
They listen for an echo, but I only hear the hum.
The whisper of connection is the turning of a page.
The quiet conversation with the person I’ll become.
The floorboards don’t complain about a single set of feet.
This house is not a vessel. It is already complete.

[Bridge]
My mother called on Tuesday, her voice a careful question.
"Just checking in, my love. Is it quiet there?"
And I said, "Yes. It's quiet."
She thinks this journal on my desk is for a story with a 'we'.
She doesn't see the maps I've drawn, the plans for just a 'me'.
She sees a missing chair at the table.
I see a better view of the rain.

[Outro]
The clock on the stove says two-oh-nine.
The tea is ready now.
The hum of the fridge is a steady friend.
The story is on page four-hundred-and-eight.
Full.