A memory
It is 1995, and it’s picture day. The senior-year me has just been officially captured by camera, and I walk down the steps of the school auditorium, happy to be out of class and wondering how my photo looks. Sitting in one of the auditorium seats is Brian. I have been friends with Brian [...]
“Is it too soon?” he asked,
and the look on his face was genuine
but about 5 minutes too late.
“Too soon for what?” she retorted,
and she rolled her eyes.
“Too soon for you to break my heart?
Yes, I suppose it is.”
“Then I’ll be back,” he promised.
Even Italian coffee doesn’t warm this heart
today because I drink it alone
He is in the next room
but he is not you
He is a tea-drinker, may not be a perfect fit
but I refuse to let myself think of coffee mugs
yours and mine, together on shelf in our new home
or the smell of fresh roast on Sunday morning
even cappucinos [...]
You will merely be a distant memory during a bleak time
a mistake of the heart, a trick of the mind
someone whose job was to tempt fate and twist me
around and around until my soul fell down.
In 5 years or more I will not remember the pain
the heart knows how to build walls
to protect from these sorts [...]