WHAT LIVES LONGER THAN TIME

 i   the spoon-shaped scar

           from that afternoon when she put all 

           her trust on a burdened branch

           it aches whenever she puts her hands 

           on a railing or when she waves people

            goodbye.

ii  the lump in his throat

           from the day he tied his name onto hers 

            now and then, it catches his breath

            whenever her smile looks twenty-four   

            or when she spells out forever with her

             fingers on his chest

iii this heartache

             is older than the beginning and will 

             stay long after i'm gone

iv those words

             whispered in the dark,

             the ones with hooks we couldn't feel     

              and teeth we didn't see