i remember the letter,
handwritten on white
college-ruled
notebook paper torn
from it’s spiral ring
and leaving a line
of hanging chads
along one side.
i held the page close
to my nose, inhaling
the faintest
scent of lavender
which must have dripped
from nimble fingers
as you held
your blue pencil.
by now it’s creased
from repeated foldings
and unfoldings,
the penmanship faded
as if my eyes sucked dry
the stream
of those words, leaving
a pale shadow behind.