Dave Bonta's poem describes a relationship cooling over months, and it does so in small, quiet details rather than a dramatic break. The early contrast between the two lovers, "our skins & hair & lips," blurs. The "static charge" of their touch weakens, and everyday things, like the glowing apple on her laptop or glances over coffee cups, lose their spark.
The speaker seems resigned. "As we knew it would" suggests he saw this coming and isn't surprised. Instead of turning to her, he turns to the newspaper, which becomes a "cosy crib" he wakes up in. The lines of print look like crib bars, and the page like a colorless, moonlit yard "fuzzy with possibilities." That image hints at a retreat into something childlike and safe, away from the other person. The mood is gentle, wistful and a little numb. The final line, with the day shrinking "into the hard day," leaves a sense of reality closing in as the dreamy softness disappears.