A KEY	IN THE WOUND
A STAR	IN THE MIND
A WINDOW	IN THE GRAVE
A THORN	in the side
	INDECISIVELY;

a
perfectly	ordinary
somebody	died	and left the phone
		hanging off the hoo
		k.
inconsiderate.
i guess you didn't consider it
when you	. . .
		you know.
i don't remember how to swim.

AND THERE'S	A PLACE
FOR YOUR FACE	IN THE WALL
OF MY HEART	WHERE YOU
PUNCHED THE FAMILY PHOTOS
AND TORE OUR LITTLE FACES APART
and

the broken glass fell down the stairs
all across the kitchen floor	and
somebody cut the phone lines	and

took the handles off the doors.	and this isn'
t what my house looked like, this isn't where my
bedroom was	and they were
cutting down the apple tree, it was two thousand
and one.

and

it's

a

LOCK	IN THE RIBS
A CHAIN THAT	WEIGHS MY BODY DOWN
this used to be so easy but it isn't like that now.
A KNIFE	IN THE TEETH
A TOOTH	IN THE SINK
A HOLE	IN THE OCEAN
remember when the lifeguard had to come and pull me out.
as long as	there's nothing to be sorry for
neither of
us is going
to forgive
the other,	i wish i'd really hurt you when i
	had the chance
(if i ever had the chance)
	that one christmas eve i could
	have torn you all to shreds.
i know you tried to really love me but you're
a ghost	on my back;
she said that you'd be proud of me
i said i didn't ask.

AND THERE'S	A PLACE
FOR YOUR NAME	ETCHED INTO THE
GATE YOU MADE	BUT IT ISN'T ON
MY BODY, YEARS AGO WE MOVED AWAY
and they shut down the school a couple years after i left,
i guess you didn't consider that
when you	. . .

	both of the people that they cared about
	there is nothing left of now.

a face	for the pictures
a name	for the text
a voice	for the answering machine
memories	for all the rest

	the more i know about you,
	the harder you are to grieve.