Hours we spent
planting orchids on the tree.
I cared nothing.
I cared for nothing
but you.
Now, in June
on a park bench in a different city,
I push a pin tack
deeper into my thumb
to remember.
Steady breath.
Everyday I move
between wanting
to apologize
and wanting to scream
for this:
I could not understand
how you felt
until you made me
feel the same way.
You handed me
a plastic skull
you had carried around
your entire life.
Then you made it real.
