Distance

A childish laugh
becomes flirtatious
and the time between the change
hasn't been counted
but it is short.

I haven't your patience to
look back and wonder where I went wrong.
The photos were never black and white
never so clear, remember?

--

I haven't the courage to ask
someone to return when
he has already set off on his journey
alone.

Remember that picture of us
and cotton candy
the one with abee on a pear tree
in sunglasses.
Polaroid us in front of the
stationwagon, rusting away somewhere now like
the pictures.
and feeding the birds with
leftover spaghetti - it looks like worms.
Or in Ottawa with water balloons
just one each.

And when she was born, the pictures.
the hospital room with jam
out of a toothpaste bottle.
Remember the eggs that abee cooked while
omee was in the hospital.

Remember your room? Your paintings
are hung up on every inch
remember you said don't move anything?
I might have, by accident.

But there is no one here to fix them
now that you're gone.