Before this There was infinity, reachable by tiny fingers And wide eyes Scraped knees and Bobbing heads disappearing into the trees. 'Nilla wafers and nap time Took us off through the wildest jungles Sent you drifting with a patched eye across the ocean With ol' blue beard
One day, stark as the contrast between warmth And a dash of ice-water Every illusion used to protect, to comfort Became as crystal clear As shattering windshield glass.
I remember that day I remember the clutch of fabric in my small hands The spicy, familiar scent as I pushed it into my face Feeling no warmth behind it, no enclosure of arms Only the carapace Your long-sleeved second skins That filled the rich mahogany dresser Long after you departed with the last you'd ever wear.
Not touching the cold stranger in the box made it real; Nor the sound of it's door as it closed. No, not even the earth piled atop the pile of Crushed roses The stone bearing our names.
It was the sweet, lingering scent The essence you left behind That had already begun to fade; The scent that was as unique as rain on fallen leaves Would one day leave Just as you did.