The woods turned from yellow to red
as I rounded the curve of a path
we once walked down together.

All I wanted was to share that moment
with you. The snapshot continues to
float across my vision, pesky as a fruit fly.

I’m so entangled with you
(even just the thought of you)
that I fear, to detangle,
I will lose a bit of myself to you,
to the situation, to the atmosphere.
As I breathe out,
love-concern-grief drips from my mouth
to dampen the collar of my shirt.

If only it was as easy as it was
that one day, (you know the one)
where we walked and talked —
laughed even.

I miss the rain and the wet grass;
I miss the tilt of your head;
I miss the quickness of your smile.

I want to tell you these things and more,
but I fear hurting further and loving less.
So, I exist in this complexity of human emotion,
trying to let self bleed through
in each action I take.