I died without you
and we can start the story there
because
when you're dead
there's only the backstory
the tragic truths no one wanted
especially when you were alive

And the strangest things
happen when you're dead
that floaty wonder
almost like wings
but then you have that sinking feeling
that lived in your belly
while you still drew breath

A painful breath
one after another
dying for so long
that death isn't even a relief
it's just death
one state to another
because there are some things
that outlast death
and this is one of them

I died without you
not because I was too young
dying before my time
killed in some way
by your action or inaction
stolen like spring on the first morn of summer
No, that did not happen
for I died when I was old
wrinkled and jaded
a life lived long
too long
just long enough
to understand
why it was alone.