truly.
see these empty palms: i hold
no mask, no veneer of envy. see how
i speak from the basin of
my diaphragm. i want your joy even if
i am not the conduit. i know what it was to
love you. you with the auburn smile. you
with the amber hope. how can any one wish a
cage on a fading footprint? there is no
alchemy to change past tense to present.
you cannot force an ease
into existence. you did not belong to me, even
when you belonged to me. if i gripped
on your slipping wrist, forgive me. my jealousy
was bright but it had no teeth. i had not yet learned
how much of love is made of letting go. goodness,
i hope you’re happy. there is no one path, no one person who
will switch on all the light within us. i can see it now: you are in the
silhouettes of each love that came after you. what a gift you were.
CarnivalDark 