“The Morning After”

blessed be the dishes,

stacked crooked in the sink,

silent witnesses to another day survived.

the cup i drank from,

the plate left half-finished,

the spoon forgotten beside the bed.

small evidence that life continues

despite the ache.

i wash them one by one,

watching warm water carry away

what it can.

some stains leave easily.

others take longer.

like grief,

like memory,

like you.