Remember

Remember Old apartment keys still fit the lock, Your favorite mug sits cold, a silent clock. Sunlight cuts the dust motes, dancing slow, Just like the way your hair did, long ago. I trace the marks on the kitchen tile, Where you’d tap your spoon, humming that smile. This room still smells like your perfume’s trace, A ghost of “us” in this empty space. The air’s too thick for goodbyes, Your hand on the door, a tremor I can’t disguise. I want to scream “stay,” but my throat’s a stone, This is the last time I’ll see you alone… Oh, remember—remember you this way, Smiling soft in the morning light’s first ray. Remember—the way your laugh could melt the gray, The way you held my hand, like you’d never stray. Remember… Remember…  This isn’t “goodbye”—it’s “I’ll keep you near,” In the frame of my mind, forever clear. Found your letter in the drawer, half-penned, “Meet me at the pier when the tide descends.” Your handwriting loops like ocean waves, Promises we made, now lost in caves. That park bench where we watched the sunset burn, Your head on my shoulder, the world just turn. I kissed your forehead, said, “We’ll never part,” Now the bench’s empty, just my heart. The clock ticks louder than your name, I memorize the freckles on your frame. Hold on tight, though I know it’s done, Sing our song till the curtain’s undone. Oh, remember—remember you this way, Smiling soft in the morning light’s first ray. Remember—the way your laugh could melt the gray, The way you held my hand, like you’d never stray. Remember… Remember…  This isn’t “goodbye”—it’s “I’ll keep you near,” In the frame of my mind, forever clear. They say time heals, but time’s a thief, Stealing the sound of your voice, the grief. I’ll take this photo—your eyes, the sky’s blue hue, Proof that we were stars, even if just for two. Let me remember the way you’d say, “I’m here,” Before the silence swallowed all we’d share. Oh, remember—remember you this way, Smiling soft in the morning light’s first ray. Remember—the way your laugh could melt the gray, The way you held my hand, like you’d never stray. Remember… Remember…  This isn’t “goodbye”—it’s “I’ll keep you near,” In the frame of my mind, forever clear.