Permanence

The aftermath of breakup:
a toothbrush, a quilt, some borrowed clothes.
An old shoebox for safe-keeping
- one last trip home again

Clusters of habits I've inherited from you
intimate knowledges of rituals performed
in the company of one.

Some sweet permanence has drifted
Into our lives and I hear the questions
Press into my head - continued illusions
After we dabble in the dark art of love,

Indelible marks scratch into memory
Any escape was necessary, something new
Even though it was a mere shadow of your past
- not worth alluding to.

Reckoning remains for things left untouched.
There are pieces missing
From original homes - the solid traces
Around your surrendered heart
Made secure, but some buttons still need sewn,
though we claim to have moved on.

Fixed and lasting,
This love glimmers as if summoned by powers
- makeshift religions found

False forgiveness and images romanticized
A past realized without remorse or regret
The residence of you.