A List of Things That I Am When I Am Not With You

The relentless bite of cold that chases away warmth

And the blanket of snow that comes with it.

The leaves that fall dead from the trees

Without reason to stay clinging to their branches.

The t-shirt in your closet that was cool in 2012

But hasn’t been touched since the One Direction concert.

The guitar with ancient strings that never sounds right

No matter how many times you stop to tune it.

The TV whose remote batteries are dead, stuck

On that infomercial channel that no one turns to on purpose.

The half assembled IKEA dresser that’s missing a piece

So no matter how hard you try, it can’t be completed.

That dog whose best friend left and is now waiting by the window

For what seems like eternity, wondering if he’ll ever come back.

My father, late for work, unable to locate his keys,

Frustrated and searching in vain for what he needs.

My grandmother after my grandfather died,

Unwilling to accept the cruel reality of the situation.

And, more literally

Without you I am sitting alone in this Chick-Fil-A, 150 miles between us,

Trying to find any reason to keep myself from driving further.