If only he hadn’t phoned,
If only you could have
Remembered him as he was
And not the person who rang
And said those things.

If only you’d been out,
If only he’d been delayed
And missed you being home
And never the said the words,
Never got through, never
Even thought to ring and say
The awful things he said.

You wanted to keep
The special time with him,
Pack it away in that part
Of your mind for special
Things, for times
And people that made
You happy and fulfilled.

He’s spoilt that now,
Ruined it all with his
Clumsy lips and unthinking
Mind, spoilt the memories
With his crooked heart
And poison tongue, messed
Up the little tucked away
History of him and you,
The special nights, the kisses
And *******, the laughter
And smiles, the holding hand
Moments through parks and streets;
All undone, all so incomplete,
An utterly failed history.

Time to close the tome of him
And you and slam it shut, pushing
Out the memories like stake air
Between the pages of a musty book.