Photocopied

Oh my darling
since your absence
I have kept you alive
Photographs you left behind
are what I store

I have the photos of the flowers,
you sent many; express delivery
You are one of a kind
I even flattened the petals on an
empty page; in the book I write
poetry and then I drew a line
around each petal to remember, when
they wither away into nothings

The day we got together for the first,
you broke the ice wearing a hat and shades,
I look on how you drove from one state
to the one I resided in, not feeling up to par;
to help pick up my storage

We stopped at the IHOP, “that was romance”
even though I disapproved of the waitresses manners
I scolded her attitude; you were on my side

I have more photos to share, than anyone else
I’ve ever known; of course except myself,
because you were there for me,
no matter the scene
I don’t see the minor ugly we tripped on,
and actually there were not any,
I call them misunderstandings

In the pictures of us
I scratch those away,
like when you don’t like a person
in a photograph you cut away
that part of the photo and
keep the other half for the memory

That summer we sat on the park bench,
taking turns to look into your binoculars;
at birds and things was special indeed,
although I got you lost
I’m not good with directions; that much, you know now,
so you decided to use your girlfriend, Ms GPS
when we drove somewhere

I read your emails, over and over
trying to sort things out,
but I had no leads
I listened to the songs you sent
on YouTube; they kept me company
most of the time and the Frank Sinatra
ones on your cell, were someone to watch
over me

Remember my darling
the pictures you left behind
have more details than camera prints
I don’t need the extra negatives,
they are printed on my mind,
that will live on and
will die with me

V.Ramos