To this day he remembers the first time he saw her
Her wild eyes gazing back at him from across the room
And he immediately knew she was different
Deep inside him was an awareness of the inevitable
But he was hypnotized by her grace
Her majestic movement, fluid as the tide, drifting towards him

He remembers the first time his somber gaze strayed to her lips
And her euphoric laughter; a contagion
She was always high on the simple fact of existence
Never taking a moment for granted
And living each as if she expected it to be her last

He remembers her kisses, sweet as honey
Her lips a deep burgundy like red wine
The late star speckled nights that turned to lazy early mornings
Sunrises and sunsets
Magic and madness
She was his world
She was his sense of belonging

He remembers the day he found her
Curled in a corner
When he came home early from work
Tears streaming down her face
And the irreversible marks of a sharp edge
And fresh crimson on her wrists
Her cryptic mind always a mystery

He remembers her last breath
On that ordinary Saturday afternoon
While he grasped her in his arms
And begged her not to leave him

He remembers his heart shattering like a million glass shards
As he watched ever so quietly  
Her pale eyelids close
And her soul fade away