YOU

This is what I think of when I miss you
Marbles, with specks of gold, and always
A white flower just off the middle
Milk too sweet, but hot enough
That I have to slurp it up
A place I've never been to
A song I've never heard
But they tug at my heart anyway

This could get sentimental
And you do hate a show
I'm afraid I might not make it
To the next verse, when tricks
And old bones make a garland
Of my memories, mostly of you
And the garden hose comes flying out
On a whim, just to drench me

This is what I'm afraid of when you're invisible
Blankets, and white shirts, too starched
Phoney ghosts and starless nights
The tip of the threshold I trip over
Shapes that you used to be, dancing over me
Water, gurgling, and the hum of refrigerators
Everything still, and everything alive
Wispy curtains and whiter clouds

And the smell of darkness