Macaroni Heart

We set it in the back of our mind,
like a project we intend to finish, but do not presently have the time
We keep a hold of it, like a trinket
a postcard from a long trip, which we’d sent to ourselves
We look at it every moment or so,
we thinking of how we ought to revisit it, and yet we never do
and we know it is for the best

Because the truth of it, in our heart of hearts
we know, she no longer loves us
We believe her to be the woman we knew
but she’s become something else entirely:
a lover, a mother, a student
or most disturbingly,
a friend

Do we just forget?
No, we do not
We cannot forget, like we cannot unknow Columbus setting sail in 1492
It is history, a wrinkle on our face that reminds us
of the laughter, anger, angst, joy, and pain
of everything she has made us feel,
and then some