Yesterday was your birthday
Kate Mathalone
I don't think of you often,
but I did today:
how your dry fingers felt,
interwoven with mine,
and how those Ray-Bans, too small for your face,
looked perfect when you smiled,
especially at me.
The overwhelming scent of Polo Blue,
that you must have bathed in—
I think of you whenever
I smell that cologne,
and for a moment I’m sure you’re standing next to me.
It takes me back
to cautious conversations,
shared grievances,
and how you’d wear
that yellow bracelet
I gave you
drunk at the bar that night
when we were out
for your birthday.
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