I picked up fragments of
Broken glass in the morning sun,
Tried to convince myself that
The vultures circling our heads
Were a blessing, not an omen, and
You weren’t dead, you were just saving strength
I was filled up on only memories,
Warm lemonade and
Wilted rose petals from the back seat
Tomorrow’s hope replaced by yesterday’s wreck
A fire started in the desert heat
And blown out in a frozen hurricane
I was so thirsty
I almost swallowed my regret
I looked for respite in the foliage
But trees don’t forgive
Rocks don’t forget
And the snakes stopped smiling days ago
I apologized for everything
As I left your body in the car
I walked until I couldn’t anymore
I wanted to scream your legacy from the mountains
But who was I to keep your memory
Who was I to sing your eulogy
So I sat down
And I let the desert take us both