wear my big purse around my shoulder
so I don’t look so alone (I know you’d be concerned)
browsing the aisles, the people, the store
stare at all the potted plants and wonder
how long will it take for them to fall apart:
as long as a cardiac-arrested heart?
.
adorn the sweatshirt you almost gave away
parallel park in the street, cheeks burning, flushed red
(even though you aren’t here to laugh at my struggles)
recall the bullet holes you pointed out in Eastown
said, “Welcome to the city,” eyes pointed at that marred minivan
strolling the sidewalk, ducking under tree branches
like the entrance to some make-believe kingdom
Welcome to the city
.
stand in the rain, the whispers of wind
kissing my arms, reminding me of the black and blue
patches you stitched to my skin, your name
September; I think, once, it brought promise
now, it only brings rain
and the two are not the same thing
Just Thoughts 