AND

A poem about how love lingers in your mind after it is gone

And his kiss was swift and unexpected like a rhododendroms blooming



And I was left unassured by what it meant



And the fragrance of his last cigarette



And coffee lingered on his lips



And I was tempted for a moment to hang on



And in the end you settle for what you get



And I wept a second time



And I listened to the sound of voices that had stopped talking long ago



And the road out of here is straight



And very, very long



And I am visited now only by a half remembered song



And the sun washed sky



And memories of how we used to fly together



And apart, no beginnings, but all fresh starts