no longer in love

*Note: This poem is a collaborative piece with my friend Fernando Izaguirre, whom I met at the National Undergraduate Literary Conference in Ogden, UT this past April. He is a very accomplished poet and has been published many places - keep an eye out for his work! One of my favorites of his can be found here. Thanks Fernando, I look forward to writing more together!

My love, I gave you space to breathe,
Window seats and wall-less walkways -
We built this house together,
Full of rooms with pictures of us,
Images that stagnate, forever,
Collecting the dust of our dead cells.
We crashed heads one morning -
Bickering about toothbrush ownership became
Skulls bleeding out like tissue in a carton box,
Made of synthetic fibers,
Wiping counters from end to end,
Leaving behind stained debris.
Needless to say, we are no longer in love -
A word that keeps everyone still,
Stopping the arms of clocks from swinging in the right direction.
Removing the frames from the walls,
Suddenly everything goes in reverse -
The first day I met you,
Walking down Relapse Avenue,
Giving you a smile that made you say “Hello.”
But this time I decided not to,
And there you went, my once-upon-a-time,
You go away - the images fade ever after.