The Memory of You

I fell in love with you

three times.

First,

I fell in love

with the thought of you.

I formed images of you

in my mind.

And that’s why it

was so easy

to recognize you and

fall in love with you

the second time.

The second time I loved you

began the day I met you.

It wasn’t instantaneous

like a Polaroid.

It was a feeling that

developed over time.

Like dipping my toe in

while safely tottering

on the edge; it took time to

feel my way to loving you

until I was ready to sink in

full body, heart and all.

The third time

I loved you

was when I watched you

slowly disappearing,

taking the long way around

meandering,

seeming to go nowhere

but away.

It was impossible

you’d choose to stay.

Yet you didn’t even bother

to say good-bye.

I fell in love with

your retreating frame.

A few steps at a time,

that’s how I watched you

slowly begin to fade.

My love for you

remained the same.

I learned

to love your memory

as much as I loved you—

fully.

Peace & Love,

Rosalind