In Memoriam

I loved you best

On the days that stretched

Forever.

You sat next to me

Breathing possibility

Into my mouth,

We counted the ways

We'd never be like Them

(Them, those wretched wire-walkers. Them, those burdened bodies. Them, those desperate derelicts)

We were young then

But we knew enough to know

That time was a dealer,

Making promises she couldn't keep.

Your laughter went first.

Then your hands- a tremor

Unsteadying everything

That helped me remember

What it meant to love you

Best.

Still, I bargained.

You begged.

We swallowed the sun

And let our skin burn,

Hoping something

Would linger inside us

As we greeted the night.

I'm still shining for you.