one day his words won't feel like knives
or stomach bugs, or shards of ice

one day his words won't haunt your dreams
or show up in once-happy memories

one day he won't be able to wrap his hands around you
even from a thousand miles away, when you've moved
to another state just to get him out of your brain,
wracking it for a thought that wasn't daunting,
didn't remind you every name he used,
one day he won't be able to

and it will be great,
I promise you