Greeting an Absence

I say hello to your sweater slung on a chair,

Then realize it is not you.

It's a wasted greeting; my greeting your absence.

It's a gift I've wasted on something that once contained you.

It's a reminder that you were once here and now are not.

You have that illusion of belonging because I am here

And I have voiced something to your perceived image.

I can remember you wearing that sweater, giving it life and purpose

But now it is still; a tapestry of you

A shroud of remembrance,

Draped over the chair at the shoulders.

It is an extension of you,

Something that once decorated you,

Is part of what you show the world.

The life you give it lingers.

But it still does not earn my greeting

Because I am still waiting for the time

When there is a presence I can give attention to.

Reviews

[Andy]

haha, I guess sweaters do have a lot of meaning