The poet forgives

If you don’t get the joke then don’t laugh

If you feel scared then fall asleep

If you can’t dream then fall in love and have someone to dream of

Wash your hands before holding her,

Don’t wash them after you let go

If you can’t keep a promise then don’t say I love you

If she smiles at you from across the crowd at the block party,

Don’t say that you don’t want to die

I will always remember the times her laughter balloon floated to the ceiling of my smile

It’s crazy when I think of it,

I never really knew how to love until you left me yearning for it

Rephrased; without it

I’m not sure if I want it more now or after I find someone like you

I wish for a song to play the part where I forgive us

I haven’t moved on but I think I’ve learned to sleep without remembering you

It’s pretty easy honestly; you just don’t sleep until you die

And how romantic would it be to fall dead remembering the person you love

And the person that has now grown tired of your name in their mouth

And you still feel like loving them when you die would feel romantic

And maybe there will be a dead lover in the morning

And maybe he will finally spill the name of all the people he loved

And maybe the sky would be more purple and not blue

And maybe the girl he loves wears his blue jeans at the block party

And then perhaps she will wipe the back of her hand upon the fabric of the pants

After kissing the boy she loves now and maybe then I will move on

Published in Daily Times, November 29^th 2018.