- the girl could see
- where the fibrous weave of silk brushed against your body,
- leaving slight, wavering indentations on your arm.
- words hurled or blown at you
- could be seen by her on your flesh,
- some scripted, some protruding,
- still trying to burrow under your skin.
- bruises on your lips
- from kisses long-forgotten by you
- are visible to her
- and trouble her sleep.
- the smells of former lovers linger on your fingers.
- she can taste them on the strawberries you try to feed her.
- cigarettes you said were yours
- bear the traces of someone else’s saliva left in your mouth,
- and when you close your eyes
- she can see the imprint of another’s lashes on your cheek.
- if you dared to stare out the window
- she saw your thoughts reflected on the pane.
- raindrops carried your memories in their globes
- until she was inundated by your past
- and swept away on the flood of your regrets.
- you, who long for this woman, cannot comfort her.
- long before you met her your body betrayed her.