A single memory

Sitting on the shelf behind my head
Collecting dust in the soft plush
Lying on its back as its dormancy grows

The little lion

Hamlet, named so for the insanity we shared
Sat on my shelf like a paperweight made of cotton

Until tonight

He’s all I have left of you now
As
             You
                                 Slowly
                                                     Drift
                                                                         Away.

My little lion

I did not recognize how small he was
Curled against my chest like an infant
But I remembered the nights we shared
Keeping the nightmares away so I could sleep

I missed him

I missed feeling the delicate fur against my arm
His velvety bow against my wrist
The curve of his plushy paw between my fingers

And now I miss you