diff --git a/libs/proxy/tokio-postgres2/src/connection.rs b/libs/proxy/tokio-postgres2/src/connection.rs
index 0aa5c77e22..f478717e0d 100644
--- a/libs/proxy/tokio-postgres2/src/connection.rs
+++ b/libs/proxy/tokio-postgres2/src/connection.rs
@@ -33,10 +33,14 @@ pub struct Response {
 #[derive(PartialEq, Debug)]
 enum State {
     Active,
-    Terminating,
     Closing,
 }
 
+enum WriteReady {
+    Terminating,
+    WaitingOnRead,
+}
+
 /// A connection to a PostgreSQL database.
 ///
 /// This is one half of what is returned when a new connection is established. It performs the actual IO with the
@@ -51,7 +55,6 @@ pub struct Connection<S, T> {
     /// HACK: we need this in the Neon Proxy to forward params.
     pub parameters: HashMap<String, String>,
     receiver: mpsc::UnboundedReceiver<Request>,
-    pending_request: Option<RequestMessages>,
     pending_responses: VecDeque<BackendMessage>,
     responses: VecDeque<Response>,
     state: State,
@@ -72,7 +75,6 @@ where
             stream,
             parameters,
             receiver,
-            pending_request: None,
             pending_responses,
             responses: VecDeque::new(),
             state: State::Active,
@@ -93,26 +95,23 @@ where
             .map(|o| o.map(|r| r.map_err(Error::io)))
     }
 
-    fn poll_read(&mut self, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Result<Option<AsyncMessage>, Error> {
-        if self.state != State::Active {
-            trace!("poll_read: done");
-            return Ok(None);
-        }
-
+    /// Read and process messages from the connection to postgres.
+    /// client <- postgres
+    fn poll_read(&mut self, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<Result<AsyncMessage, Error>> {
         loop {
             let message = match self.poll_response(cx)? {
                 Poll::Ready(Some(message)) => message,
-                Poll::Ready(None) => return Err(Error::closed()),
+                Poll::Ready(None) => return Poll::Ready(Err(Error::closed())),
                 Poll::Pending => {
                     trace!("poll_read: waiting on response");
-                    return Ok(None);
+                    return Poll::Pending;
                 }
             };
 
             let (mut messages, request_complete) = match message {
                 BackendMessage::Async(Message::NoticeResponse(body)) => {
                     let error = DbError::parse(&mut body.fields()).map_err(Error::parse)?;
-                    return Ok(Some(AsyncMessage::Notice(error)));
+                    return Poll::Ready(Ok(AsyncMessage::Notice(error)));
                 }
                 BackendMessage::Async(Message::NotificationResponse(body)) => {
                     let notification = Notification {
@@ -120,7 +119,7 @@ where
                         channel: body.channel().map_err(Error::parse)?.to_string(),
                         payload: body.message().map_err(Error::parse)?.to_string(),
                     };
-                    return Ok(Some(AsyncMessage::Notification(notification)));
+                    return Poll::Ready(Ok(AsyncMessage::Notification(notification)));
                 }
                 BackendMessage::Async(Message::ParameterStatus(body)) => {
                     self.parameters.insert(
@@ -139,8 +138,10 @@ where
             let mut response = match self.responses.pop_front() {
                 Some(response) => response,
                 None => match messages.next().map_err(Error::parse)? {
-                    Some(Message::ErrorResponse(error)) => return Err(Error::db(error)),
-                    _ => return Err(Error::unexpected_message()),
+                    Some(Message::ErrorResponse(error)) => {
+                        return Poll::Ready(Err(Error::db(error)))
+                    }
+                    _ => return Poll::Ready(Err(Error::unexpected_message())),
                 },
             };
 
@@ -164,18 +165,14 @@ where
                         request_complete,
                     });
                     trace!("poll_read: waiting on sender");
-                    return Ok(None);
+                    return Poll::Pending;
                 }
             }
         }
     }
 
+    /// Fetch the next client request and enqueue the response sender.
     fn poll_request(&mut self, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<Option<RequestMessages>> {
-        if let Some(messages) = self.pending_request.take() {
-            trace!("retrying pending request");
-            return Poll::Ready(Some(messages));
-        }
-
         if self.receiver.is_closed() {
             return Poll::Ready(None);
         }
@@ -193,74 +190,80 @@ where
         }
     }
 
-    fn poll_write(&mut self, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Result<bool, Error> {
+    /// Process client requests and write them to the postgres connection, flushing if necessary.
+    /// client -> postgres
+    fn poll_write(&mut self, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<Result<WriteReady, Error>> {
         loop {
-            if self.state == State::Closing {
-                trace!("poll_write: done");
-                return Ok(false);
-            }
-
             if Pin::new(&mut self.stream)
                 .poll_ready(cx)
                 .map_err(Error::io)?
                 .is_pending()
             {
                 trace!("poll_write: waiting on socket");
-                return Ok(false);
+
+                // poll_ready is self-flushing.
+                return Poll::Pending;
             }
 
-            let request = match self.poll_request(cx) {
-                Poll::Ready(Some(request)) => request,
-                Poll::Ready(None) if self.responses.is_empty() && self.state == State::Active => {
+            match self.poll_request(cx) {
+                // send the message to postgres
+                Poll::Ready(Some(RequestMessages::Single(request))) => {
+                    Pin::new(&mut self.stream)
+                        .start_send(request)
+                        .map_err(Error::io)?;
+                }
+                // No more messages from the client, and no more responses to wait for.
+                // Send a terminate message to postgres
+                Poll::Ready(None) if self.responses.is_empty() => {
                     trace!("poll_write: at eof, terminating");
-                    self.state = State::Terminating;
                     let mut request = BytesMut::new();
                     frontend::terminate(&mut request);
-                    RequestMessages::Single(FrontendMessage::Raw(request.freeze()))
+                    let request = FrontendMessage::Raw(request.freeze());
+
+                    Pin::new(&mut self.stream)
+                        .start_send(request)
+                        .map_err(Error::io)?;
+
+                    trace!("poll_write: sent eof, closing");
+                    trace!("poll_write: done");
+                    return Poll::Ready(Ok(WriteReady::Terminating));
                 }
+                // No more messages from the client, but there are still some responses to wait for.
                 Poll::Ready(None) => {
                     trace!(
                         "poll_write: at eof, pending responses {}",
                         self.responses.len()
                     );
-                    return Ok(true);
+                    ready!(self.poll_flush(cx))?;
+                    return Poll::Ready(Ok(WriteReady::WaitingOnRead));
                 }
+                // Still waiting for a message from the client.
                 Poll::Pending => {
                     trace!("poll_write: waiting on request");
-                    return Ok(true);
-                }
-            };
-
-            match request {
-                RequestMessages::Single(request) => {
-                    Pin::new(&mut self.stream)
-                        .start_send(request)
-                        .map_err(Error::io)?;
-                    if self.state == State::Terminating {
-                        trace!("poll_write: sent eof, closing");
-                        self.state = State::Closing;
-                    }
+                    ready!(self.poll_flush(cx))?;
+                    return Poll::Pending;
                 }
             }
         }
     }
 
-    fn poll_flush(&mut self, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Result<(), Error> {
+    fn poll_flush(&mut self, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<Result<(), Error>> {
         match Pin::new(&mut self.stream)
             .poll_flush(cx)
             .map_err(Error::io)?
         {
-            Poll::Ready(()) => trace!("poll_flush: flushed"),
-            Poll::Pending => trace!("poll_flush: waiting on socket"),
+            Poll::Ready(()) => {
+                trace!("poll_flush: flushed");
+                Poll::Ready(Ok(()))
+            }
+            Poll::Pending => {
+                trace!("poll_flush: waiting on socket");
+                Poll::Pending
+            }
         }
-        Ok(())
     }
 
     fn poll_shutdown(&mut self, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<Result<(), Error>> {
-        if self.state != State::Closing {
-            return Poll::Pending;
-        }
-
         match Pin::new(&mut self.stream)
             .poll_close(cx)
             .map_err(Error::io)?
@@ -289,18 +292,30 @@ where
         &mut self,
         cx: &mut Context<'_>,
     ) -> Poll<Option<Result<AsyncMessage, Error>>> {
-        let message = self.poll_read(cx)?;
-        let want_flush = self.poll_write(cx)?;
-        if want_flush {
-            self.poll_flush(cx)?;
+        if self.state != State::Closing {
+            // if the state is still active, try read from and write to postgres.
+            let message = self.poll_read(cx)?;
+            let closing = self.poll_write(cx)?;
+            if let Poll::Ready(WriteReady::Terminating) = closing {
+                self.state = State::Closing;
+            }
+
+            if let Poll::Ready(message) = message {
+                return Poll::Ready(Some(Ok(message)));
+            }
+
+            // poll_read returned Pending.
+            // poll_write returned Pending or Ready(WriteReady::WaitingOnRead).
+            // if poll_write returned Ready(WriteReady::WaitingOnRead), then we are waiting to read more data from postgres.
+            if self.state != State::Closing {
+                return Poll::Pending;
+            }
         }
-        match message {
-            Some(message) => Poll::Ready(Some(Ok(message))),
-            None => match self.poll_shutdown(cx) {
-                Poll::Ready(Ok(())) => Poll::Ready(None),
-                Poll::Ready(Err(e)) => Poll::Ready(Some(Err(e))),
-                Poll::Pending => Poll::Pending,
-            },
+
+        match self.poll_shutdown(cx) {
+            Poll::Ready(Ok(())) => Poll::Ready(None),
+            Poll::Ready(Err(e)) => Poll::Ready(Some(Err(e))),
+            Poll::Pending => Poll::Pending,
         }
     }
 }