boy in a coffee shop

the way he sipped the foam from his cup

reminded me so much of you, I thought

i might be mis-imagining it. like maybe

he actually was you, but the thought of seeing your face

was so painful that my mind rearranged my memory

of your features. i can’t even watch you walk into school,

your back to me, without wondering what kind of cigarettes

you are smoking this week. he even kind of smirked

like you. which is to say i am remembering your lips correctly.

he ran his hands through your floppy black hair,

and my chest exploded with what was left of me. i kept

staring to make sure it was not you, but this is the issue

with not being in love. it is impossible to make out the truth.

when i am in love, the truth is evident. when we knew love,

the truth existed in you. or maybe i misimagined

that too. he rose to leave, and i knew that he definitely

was not you. you have a way of leaving,

a certain agony you trail in your stride

that i still cannot purge my memory of.

AJ

Reviews

[Adam Adams]

it's really hard time when someone reminds of another someone esp. when we're being in someone's memories of love. very deep and captivating poetry you have come up with. nicely inked.