to vanish means to disappear so completely
you can never be found again.
i was talking about Salt Lake City and all the miles
of mountains snaking up through Montana when you kissed me,
ran your palms over my sides and slid your mouth down
between my knees.
to fragment means to split apart,
to fall away into separate pieces.
when the tide came in we were so drunk
on pear wine that we lay in the waves for hours,
the salt burning our skin.
to ruin means to destroy without mercy
and cause bruises that will forever remain.
i remember you said once you had a typewriter
with which you wrote tiny snippets of all the day’s stories:
planted roses in the garden. made love four times.
bought jam from the grocer.
to blossom means to grow forth in such splendor
that you will never be the same, only better.
on our bedroom wall there is a photo of the two of us,
above the calendar.
each day with you
is a victory.