I keep flashing to
Candlelit quarters and
Cramped pockets of privacy
Where you exchanged love
And exchanged it for history.
And pieces of memories
You forget about in time
Will decay into silence
And a decently put rhyme.
I keep flashing to
Sidewalks lit by
Young love and infinite
Possibility,
With cracks in the cement
And holes in the hearts
That skipped over them.
I blink and I am
At your door, to say goodbye,
Though we both don’t know it,
And I’m holding some ******
Hallmark Valentine,
Cradling rejection in the palm
Of a well-turned hand that
Knocks – one, two, three – at your door.
And what will happen if
Instead of your smile I see
A million reasons why we Should Not,
And in lieu of flowers
I get extra gas money and a new future
With one more poem
And one less You?