may              writes

There’s a path through the trees

A clearing if you walk the right steps

Steps burnt into my skin (left, right, straight on)

A path I could walk if the world vanished

There’s a clearing somewhere

(I say somewhere, I know the exact spot)

A spot by a rock with perfect rocks to skim

If the water flows slow then sometimes we swim

(We swam) and we talked and we laughed and we loved 

When we were too young to love, When I struggled with arithmetic

The sum of us still seemed to fit, as perfect as it should

Should have, past tense, past summers, past picnics

Sixteen, cusp of everything, picnics in this wood

Sixteen, up ahead, all the life, all the hours

We promised to love each other forever

I promised each week I’d bring you flowers,

Wisteria, your favorite, I promised, God I felt so brave

Sixteen, cusp of everything, I never thought I’d put wisteria gently on your grave