memento
what we carry is often invisible
reach out, they say
tomorrow’s an uncertainty
but that’s not what we do
I still bear the scars
of misunderstanding
in your absence, I write letters
send acceptance into the ether
leaving respect untouched
the see-saw’s out of balance
playground protocol isn’t clear
I’m afraid of toppling
in your absence, I draw pictures
but the lines wobble like someone
moved the napkin under my table-leg
Pluto, for a time, was not a planet
her name became blank space
in every museum
in your absence, I write poems
but some of the words are missing
stolen, maybe, or snuck out the back
my definition is empty, page blank
I thought I’d written — no eraser-marks
to show anything was there
just something else misunderstood
I don’t know what to move
it’s an honor and a sentence, reading
someone else’s baggage — collectors
like me don’t throw away heavy
I’m burning papers in my heart
but the door’s there, waiting to open
orb-weaver hesitates on the jamb
so what do I do — do I punish you
for me being me? I let you be
you become a locket, tarnished
on the side facing the world, but shiny
where it rests on my skin
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