There's a joke you used to tell
but I don't remember it too well
it's on the tip of my tongue
-like so many other things-
the faint laughter in my lungs
and casual twisting of my favorite rings
fade into nothingness
I ain't bluffing this
but one sliver of happiness
still lingers
like fingers
trailing down my shirt
except now, your phantom touch hurts
dislocated from the present
but I don't resent it
And even when I'm not wearing my rings,
I absentmindedly twist the metal that isn't there
like an old joke lingering in the surrounding air
ohhhh this is beautiful. not your pain, of course, but the way in which you explain it. gorgeous poem.
ReplyDeletetry to focus on the happiness you find elsewhere. =)
thanks so much kate.
ReplyDeletei was literally trying to remember a joke someone told me- it was this weird random flashback i had- and it really bothered me i couldn't remember it... so i turned that feeling into this haha. it wasn't so much about pain as just remembering what you don't want to and not remembering what you do want to
oh i see! i've definitely had that feeling before, and i agree, it sucks. lol
ReplyDelete