people have been asking where you’ve been and I’m too afraid to tell them you’re not coming back again

I've been looking

through old photographs

from when you were young

and your lips

were chapped

and I never realized

how empty

your eyes looked

when you'd laugh

and I wonder

if anyone

notices

the space between

my fingers where

yours used to reside

and I wonder

how long

I can hide

your death

behind

a smile