Nostalgia in the Times of Breaking Up

go farther back now,

before the good day

before the teddy bear hug.

before the flashbulb smiles

and giggles bubbling like

a brook under a bridge.

farther, delve back

before he walked an hour in the cold

when you moved in to town

just to make sure you hadn’t shattered

in the process

before his ember eyes

lit a forest fire in yours

further now, before it stung.

reach as far as you can,

remember what it’s like to be

one whole, and not the wrong

half.