The Days When I Miss You by Katie Mau

Submitted to The Coup: Wanderlust, Vol. 31 (2013)

Some days, I walk outside and I’m surprised by what I see
The fields of grass we once knew now seem lost or empty
The trees we once hid behind have been cut down
The frost still crinkles beneath my careful steps
But there’s no longer a soft echo.

Some days when I’m sitting inside
I see your favorite chair
But these days, it stays silent and still
I reach for a glass from the cabinet
And every time I have to stop and look back
Wondering if you’d like one, too…

Some days when I watch the solar system projected onto the ceiling,
I remember the conversations we had
And somehow while I laugh,
I feel a cannonball-sized void in my chest.

I miss you more than I can understand,
But I can’t allow myself to come back.
What gives me peace is knowing that
No matter where life leads me,
You’re not far away.
There’s a little piece of you inside my head.

Thank you.

Really.