I can scarcely breathe,
standing in the vacant room
walls painted in sickly hues of
brightness.
The resonance of my present existence
fading against the loud echoes
of..

I closed my eyes
and see.

[-]

Playing at pretence -
a girl of eight again,
retaining the perfect reason to slip
her small hands in yours,
twirling beneath their canopy of
clear blue skies,
dancing along to humming
now only she can hear.

once upon a time in the arms
of the man
who is holding another now.

[-]

Along narrow pathways,
I almost missed
the memory of slight brushes
of your shirt sleeve
against my shoulders,
remembering instead,
how we started walking in
opposite directions -
meeting,
but no longer pausing
for that sideway glance
or half-smile
courtesy permitted.

[-]

the downtown coffee house -
when you spilled coffee
just over the spot
where my heart is;
and you watched me
watching the stain spread,
darkening,
securing its permanence
right there.

[-]

you didn't know
what happened to us,
never be able to understand
what I cannot bring myself to explain.

my statements were
questions
we had no answers to.