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phantom
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separation her absence has proven intolerable,
as her presence used to be
a maddening dilemma
disorienting my maladapted routine
she'll be taking the dog soon
her smell (already gone)
scented candles, dry-shampoo,
overpriced aromatic hand soap...
i even miss the odors from the barn
i miss the pile of laundry
she never picked up,
the oil stain on asphault
from the truck she wouldn't maintain,
clumps of her hair on the shower wall,
soiled tampons in the trash,
dirty dishes piling up,
her kiss of morning breath...
am i missing who i remember,
or a phantom of who we could have been?
So many break-up poems just
So many break-up poems just skim the surface, but you, with poetic sleight of hand, knew that evocative simplicity and details were the way to make it real and pierce the heart. Your resounding question carries the loss even farther and deeper. Striking work.