IMAGINARY LOVER

Inspiration: Carol Ann Duffy

Your head rests on my soft stomach,

The weight of you lingering

Long after you’re gone.

The phantom of a woman,

Whose lips taste sweet as the candy

You gave me on Valentine’s Day.

I still hear whispers of your voice

When you told me you loved me,

And that it would all be okay.

You were my comfort,

For years you lived in my head.

Sometimes, you changed your form,

Or your voice,

Or your manner,

But your fierce blue eyes were unchanging.

Friends and seasons came and went,

But you remained with me like a shadow.

I was alone with you for so long

That I forgot how to talk to other people.

When I fell into loneliness, I expected you

To catch me, to hold me.

You were a ghost, and I slipped from your hands.

You were a dream, and all that I wanted

Was to stay asleep so that I could be with you,

But all dreams need to end,

And I need to wake up.