You have the whole universe
in your eyes
and I'm just
a star you missed

I want to tell you
I tear at the sound of your name.
Like the paper jammed in my printer at work,
Sometimes I am a wrinkled mess without you.

I want to tell you
Distance tastes like acid in my throat.
It burns holes in my esophagus nightly.

I want to tell you
I wanted to make a home for myself
In the palms of your hands.
You could cup them
And you could bring them to your lips:
I would let you drink me, if you wanted to.

I want to tell you
This heart is heavy like iron,
But also fragile like glass.
It is fractured and full of chips
Like the one that formed the last time we kissed:
You told me you loved me, then.
It was the first and last time,
And I said it back sounding something like a desperate plea
Knowing it would not stop you from leaving
(But somehow you still lingered.)

I want to tell you all of these things,
But the words get stuck in my mouth.
They are afraid of coming out,
So instead I tell you
"I've missed you"
And I hope some part of you understands the rest.

Here's to the pennies
Returned at the register;
Here's to the sweaters
In the midst of summer;
Here's to the instrument
You can no longer play;
Here's to the book
At the back of the shelf;
Here's to the song
You loved in childhood,
Or this poem you read
In the days to come;
Here's to the things forgotten
That will always still be.

We treasure the sun
The moment we realize
It's about to leave.