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Just Friends |
Pack a box marked
Fragile: Handle with Care
Methodically dividing
Our personal effects.
Long, thin strips of packing tape
Holding it all inside.
All collections divided
Almost neatly in two
I take the Alanis Morrisette CD,
You keep Sarah McLaughlin.
Please leave me the painting,
Because it reminds me of you.
Please take the photographs,
Because they remind me of you.
I take my clothes out of your dresser.
Separate from yours
And place them in a long black suitcase
Ready to depart.
Put into a box marked Miscellaneous
A labrynth keychain, unused
A leather wallet, worn and weathered
A rubber duck bottle opener, scratched
A gold crucifix, slightly chipped
A work ID, expired
A Japanese caligraph for “Love”
Carved in a stone, a simple paperweight
I close the lid on these
Jumbled manageries
Misplaced memories
And tape it shut.
The last package gone,
The room feels lighter than before
Sunlight illuminated the newly open spaces.
You walk me to the door
Your lips part in a friendly smile
Your eyes remain still and unmoved.
You offer a concilliatory hug,
I take from it much more.
A final look at the room
With a wish that it was the first.
As you disappear
Around the corner
To go about your day,
I place the keys on the nightstand
And try,
Unsuccessfully,
To leave quietly.
copyright 2005
David
Concepcion |
