I wouldn’t say I stopped loving you or missing you
But it became softer, like a healed bruise that’s still tender when pressed
I view you in a light that warms my round cheeks, honeyed and gentle
And if I were to see you again, I’d tell you I would’ve loved every wrinkle you gained if it meant I could still be with you

And I couldn’t have been more vulnerable because there was a time limit and to love with a time limit is to love with a ceiling, it’s capped
I had to contain my love for a person who, if you had stripped me down until the ivory shine of my bones remained, you would have found them swollen with love for you

Memories of vanilla macaroons and sitting beneath a bandstand in Savannah’s sultry air come back in glimpses, and I catch myself giggling
That’s how I know this grief has become easier to hold

I tried my best in a contained environment