the day has shifted three feet to the left

there are flowers you forgot to water

                                     graves you never visit

a blink of your glazed-over eyes and they leave

wave goodbye, see you again?

give them a hug for the first and last time

except you only realize it’s so

once that moment

                                                has passed you by

they felt safe, you think

            maybe it would be nice

            to stay here a while

but savoring moments is a childhood luxury

so you watch the airplanes take off

and hope you’re still watching them

like you do

from a distance

with the same reverence you think you used to

missing them

behind windows

or beyond clouds

it’s still the same, really

you remember people like them with their hidden cracks healed

filled in with hopes dreams memories fantasies

would you tell me stories about them?

                        about who you want them to have been?