Remember when you lost your keys?
I wouldn’t look for the damn things
and your frustration honed in on me.

It wasn’t about the keys,
the first on today’s list of annoyances.
Yet somehow, it’s always about everything.

I don’t know where you dropped your keys.
I don’t know why she took your dog.
I don’t know why she chose her dreams.
I might know why you’re falling apart,
but that isn’t only because of me.

Do you expect me to solve everything?

Resigned and out of time,
you stormed out and slammed the door
before a quiet sunshine trickled through.

I found the answer
in the unchecked pocket of your favorite jacket,
the one you rarely wore,
afraid you might ruin it too.

Nothing I do will ever erase that fear embedded in you.