n. Privation of that which we had, or had not.
—Ambrose Bierce
It seems I am practicing loss
how to become lacework’s hollow
the hundred empty spots that bloom
beauty across blemished facades.
Year squandered, embroidered in grief—
I am practicing loss, it seems—
wrestling chain-stitched memories of
uncovering his cheating, rings
of purpling fingerprints that
mean I can never take him back,
am practicing loss. It seems I
turned disposable camera
sun yellow box, reflecting his
image, then tossed, like our vows each
time he lied, phoned her instead of
practicing. It seems I am lost.
