Toss Away Those Pieces of Him

A Poem

Photo by Jennifer Farnan on Unsplash

hey, hon,
hope you weren’t waiting
on those bygone letters —
his smudged efforts,
the paper torn and crumpled

(what a metaphor for what he is)

you remember
he wrote poems for girls
and asked them for pennies
which became kisses
while he kept no promises

you heard he had a new wife —
good for him, perhaps bad for her —
and the wine tasted bitter
as you swallowed a laugh

you remember
he was that Lost Boy type,
rumpled hair and flyaway grin,
but these were never exclusive
to you, just you — or any other girl

you saw a picture of his wife,
and she looked like a kid
standing next to her father —
and you thought, “God, we’re old”

hey, I said,
hope you don’t forget
that I’m here now —
ready to make the book
of my life twined with yours