you played that solitaire
of saving with me
saying “i will remember now forever”
and tomorrow morning it’s gone
like your fingertips never made me soft
and i remember everything
like the bottle caps i collected
but i don’t win your game
if i tell you things you used to say
you keep things in your holy pockets
but i keep things in amber
and one day i tripped and
a piece socked me in the jaw
and chipped my front tooth
so when i smile big now
you can see it still hurts
and i will not play marbles
in the schoolyard with you anymore
because i will always lose
and you keep all the pretty ones
in your pockets
before you leave without asking
(as published in Rushlight, spring 2014)