I'm afraid to forget.

A poem, for you:

I call out your name

A faint voice returns, only to remind me of the haunting silence before it

The presence of warm air, the aroma of the surrounding trees

It is the best day that I will never forget

Although that is my greatest fear

Forgetting

I look past the tousled leaves and worn branches

I see the dark strands of hair upon your head

Your eyes clear as day, filled with regret

You know it is not your fault, so why do you feel the need to cry

For I know you had a heart of gold and an unforgettable smile

That I am still afraid of forgetting

So many times I have recalled the exact footsteps

Those carved memoirs in pavement and in gravel

I ask you what you miss most

I try to not act surprised anymore

The pain, still fresh and my heart still so tender

I have not yet forgotten

The glow on the mountains, the shadows of the clouds

A sight so glorious, so beautifully created

I trace those soft edges and imagine you inside of them

For you taught me the greatest love of all

And still, I loved you more

Which I will never forget

The light in your eyes that never faded

You brought life into everything you touched

I still hear you breathing in the distance…waiting…watching

Wanting to come back, to fix what has been done

To erase all of the hurt

That some days, I wish I could forget

To know you were the one I could confide in

To the one who confided in me

You were my whole world

And now, it kills me to think you are just a memory

How could you still be so alive, so free

How could I ever forget

I only reminisce now, hoping to one day see your face again

I wait for you, and I light up whenever I see someone who resembles you

You are constantly in my dreams, trying to account for the past

All I know is that you must not be afraid of forgetting, because you have not forgotten me