There will come a time
When you cannot remember
The tune
Of that one
Sufjan Stevens song.
I know you know the one
Right now it’s bouncing in your brain
It’s ringing in your head
And you’re cursing
Your vivid memory
There will come a day
When you cannot conjure
The scent of her sheets in the morning
Or the name of her one cat
And one dog.
You will forget which shirt of hers
She left with you.
You will forget which brand
She smoked.
Both she,
And the person you were alongside her,
Will be a distant memory.
You will forget
The pasta she made for you
And the movies she begged
You watch.
And that is good
And natural
And necessary
You will not forget
What you learned from her.
But you will heal,
And you may smile
When someday
They say her name
And it will feel like an affirmation,
And not, as today,
An assault.
There will come a time
When you will
Confidently belong
To yourself once more,
Do not doubt
The pain or
Process.
2012
