She introduced to me a new type of shaking
somewhere between
anger, hatred, sadness, regret and love.
It's only ever present
in her presence.
Only absent
when we're in the same room



©Brandon Webb
2012

Pomegranate frozen yogurt
and a metal chair
outside alderwood mall
alone

wonderful combination-
in midsummer,
not in mid-autumn

But-
watching frozen people walk by
to smooth jazz
(coming from one of these stores-
Godiva? Panera bread?)
under cold blue skies
frozen sunlight
and the memory
of their own breath's fleeing warmth-
is relaxing



©Brandon Webb
2012

Back room of the library
watching him make tea

out of the corner of my eye
I watch them walk in-
Six people i used to know-
There in the other room-
two couples.
One dreaming of a time when he isn't alone,
but stuck in the present.
And one

who used to love me

I turn back,
make my own tea
and, in letting the water heat, turn back

He's sitting alone at a computer.
I watch a once familiar face
peel herself from her lover
and walk into this room.

the conversation is heavy,
barely meant for me
but i can read between the lines
her subject is apparent

"she's gone"
her eyes whisper to me

the latter half of that is a dare
just like old times-
saying,"find her" or," don't"
for once, i can't tell
her preference toward my action

i hope it's the latter
it has to be

But her eyes reveal nothing

I turn back,
continue to forget
those memories

but mix some tears
with my tea
remembering everything




©Brandon Webb
2012

I just moved my chair
from the computer
over a pile of backpacks
three feet from the coffee table

she rounds the corner of the counter
comes through the door
sees me
and backs out

Jumping over the couch
they grab her by the shoulder
and guide her in

I pick up my chair
move it over the bags,
back to the computer
and sit, facing away

she pulls her hat over her eyes
leans against the couch arm
and looks the other way

nothing is said about us
or to us
we're just there

compromising is **** near impossible
when comprising with the **** near forgotten




©Brandon Webb
2012

excuse the link, but this form is based too much on alignment for me to post it- but here's my first try with this
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17pjKI8360y8paZ5JsFZgRZvfiMGsv5mX8Dl8iqf1E



©Brandon Webb
2012

I need to forget
but i can't
when we're standing here
in the hallway
in a small crowd-

we're the only ones here
who've ever been important
to the other
and it's still the same
as we ignore each other
through every conversation.
but forgetting is hard
and i find myself twitching
away from the lockers i'm looking at
to avoid seeing her,
every time she speaks.
and i watch her half turn
every time i say anything as well.
we may act like we don't notice
don't see
each other
but i see nothing else

I need to forget
like she's forgotten
so this doesn't hurt,
but i hold on,
tighter and tighter
every second
because i see my reflection
in the purple lockers,
see every tear
every worry line
every whisker
every scar
and i hate that person
so i turn around
to the only person
who's every loved him
to find her gone

but hold on anyway
to a memory
to a shadow
to a lie

we're the only ones
who've ever mattered to each other
in that small crowd
so i stand there alone
and no one notices



©Brandon Webb
2012