Loose Leaf Love Letter - Fairfax, AK

He liked to taste the seasons
So he moved to where it smelled like winter
Unfamiliar faces in familiar seeming places
Or maybe that was just the smell of the carpet

Or maybe it was the cardboard smell on his hands
From the packages of ex-lovers
He had been receiving

She used to write poetry
From what she thought was a simpler time
And the verses would swim in his head

And every goddamn folk song
Would remind him of her
And every cliche movie line
Would remind him of a time

Rummaging through a box of mementos
He listed on the back of a loose leaf love letter
The things he wanted, and the things he wants
And the things he should and should not do

Find that bottle of wine she gave me and drink it
Let the memories stain my vision
As bad as merlot stains my teeth

Throw that box of letters off a bridge somewhere
And find some new songs to listen to

And find some new legs to stand on
Lord knows you're gonna do it again
And finally forgive yourself
Who the hell's gonna do that now?