I sat with my palms over my eyes and tried to forget
But all I could see were your wrinkles
Sidewalk cracks etched into your face
You have been walked all over
Cars running up onto the curb
And children’s hopscotch games
Scratched a little too deep

I have not seen you since last week
When you left your room to count your sorrows
And I could see your eyes not looking at anything
But feeling the gaze of the woman you left behind
(She’s still wearing that silly turtleneck I loved)
I sat on the couch and looked past the birch tree
(It was cut down when I was four)
Its’ leaves are starting to change colors

Ten years from now I hope you send me that e-mail
The one I have seen you writing to no one in particular
You have worked on it for more than two weeks
And I wonder what you’re writing
It probably says something like
“I sat with my palms over my eyes and tried to forget
But all I could feel were my wrinkles”