sometimes i wonder
why it is
that when we love the wrong people
they tend to stay with us the longest

like ghosts only linger
when there is unrest
like the way you still remember
what they called you in ninth grade

some things were not made to be forgotten
the scars will always outlive the stitches
and closed wounds won’t always mean closure

muscle memory is how
our bodies remember the pain
our hearts still clench at the mention of his name

it reminds us that we are still human
still mortal
still alive